MEDIA RELEASE 12 December 2025
Shadow Attorney-General and Federal Member for Fisher, Andrew Wallace MP, says the latest developments in the Federal Court regarding the Albanese Government’s decision to block the $1 billion Blayney goldmine, shed further light on the Government’s culture of secrecy.
During Federal Court proceedings yesterday, Regis Resources claimed former environment minister Tanya Plibersek was “bootstrapping” her reasons for blocking the project. The Court heard that Plibersek’s summary of reasons was issued two months after she imposed the heritage protection order, a delay that suggests it was prepared in anticipation of legal action.
Mr Wallace said the delay calls into serious question whether the reasons were retrofitted in contemplation of legal proceedings.
“If Tanya Plibersek took two months to provide her reasons, they cannot in any way be regarded as contemporaneous to her decision but instead suggest an attempt to justify a pre-determined outcome”.
The former Minister’s decision also relied on a claim involving the “blue-banded bee” Dreaming story, evidence that lacked independent scrutiny and arose two years after the Wiradyuri Corporation first opposed the mine. Plibersek also cited a mural in Bathurst as corroborating the story, even though it was designed during the decision-making process and in consultation with the Wiradyuri Corporation, meaning it did not provide the independent support she claimed it did.
Mr Wallace said the Government’s justification for blocking the project is questionable and, when combined with strict suppression of evidence, sets a dangerous precedent for the handling of heritage claims:
“The Minister’s reasons for blocking the decision simply don’t add up, raising real questions about what exactly is being covered up. Shielding heritage decisions from scrutiny in this way denies the community the opportunity to properly assess whether the decision was well-founded. This undermines procedural fairness and the public trust that is vital to the integrity of our institutions”.
The latest developments follow the Federal Court granting a 30-year suppression order over evidence used to block the mine, after an extraordinary secrecy application by Government lawyers. A suppression order of this scale raises fundamental questions about what the Government is trying so hard to hide.
Mr Wallace said that, given the secrecy behind the rationale for blocking a $1 billion project and the detriment caused to open justice, the Government must explain its actions.
“Despite promising an integrity agenda, this Government is going to extraordinary lengths to avoid accountability. If the evidence truly justifies the decision, why the secrecy? What exactly is the Government trying to hide?”.
Shadow Minister for the Environment and Shadow Minister for Youth, Angie Bell MP, said the move was the latest example of the Albanese Government flouting its pledges to transparency and accountability.
“A 30-year suppression order on the Blayney mine evidence is nothing short of extraordinary, and risks eroding public confidence in both environmental decision-making and Indigenous heritage protections,” Ms Bell said.
“For a government that pledged transparency and accountability, this is a deeply hypocritical act of secrecy that locks the public out until 2055. Australians deserve to know on what basis the blue-banded bee submission was accepted and if the government had nothing to hide, they would release this information immediately. It’s one thing to protect heritage but another entirely to shut out scrutiny. By refusing to make this evidence public, the Albanese Labor Government is putting politics over transparency and undermining both trust and accountability.”
[ENDS]
Media Contacts:
Brendan West – 0402 556 646 – Brendan.west@aph.gov.au
Madi Spedding – 0431 689 103 – Madi.spedding@aph.gov.au