The ruling invalidates a 2024 decision by the then-Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek, which had blocked the construction of a tailings dam—designed to store waste from mineral processing—on a river considered sacred by Indigenous communities.

  Justice James Stellios ruled that the order was invalid due to procedural errors and referred the case back to the current minister for re-evaluation.   Regis Resources, the company behind the project—valued at 1.1 billion Australian dollars (equivalent to 766 million US dollars)—welcomed the ruling and reaffirmed its commitment to proceed with the mining operation, which is projected to produce approximately 190,000 ounces of gold annually.

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