Opal Mining Inquiry Recommendations Could Leave Over 1,000 People Homeless in Lightning Ridge
Lightning Ridge, NSW – Proposed recommendations from the recent Opal Mining Inquiry could result in over 1,000 residents being left without homes, as miners and their families living on opal claims in Lightning Ridge face the threat of eviction due to new regulations.
For over 100 years, opal miners in Lightning Ridge have lived on their mining claims. Currently, there are approximately 675 dwellings on these claims, housing well over 1,000 people. These homes have been bought, sold, and passed down through generations, with little regulatory oversight from government officials. Now, the inquiry’s recommendations threaten to displace these families, putting them at immediate risk of homelessness.
This is a crisis in the making, as Lightning Ridge – like much of NSW – already suffers from a severe shortage of public housing. The town’s housing infrastructure simply cannot absorb such a significant influx of displaced people, overwhelming local resources and services.
In addition to the devastating impact on families, local businesses will also feel the strain as many employees live off-grid on their claims.
Forcing miners and their families from their homes will not only compromise livelihoods but also undermine the security of the mining claims themselves.
Local miners are calling on Minister Houssos to meet with the community and see firsthand the consequences these recommendations. We ask Minister Houssos to listen to the voices of those directly affected, not just her department’s bureaucrats.
“If these recommendations move forward, an entire community will be displaced,” a local spokesperson said.
