2026-01-15
The Greens (WA) have unearthed evidence indicating Alcoa has breached its 2023 Exemption Order by conducting restricted mining activities too close to a 400-year-old Jarrah tree in the Huntly mine area near Jarrahdale.
The evidence was provided by Jess Beckerling MLC to the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation on 22 December 2025. DWER has now confirmed it is investigating the potential breach as a matter of priority.
Alcoa was granted an Exemption Order on 14 December 2023 to allow for mining activities to continue while an EPA assessment of its Mining Management Plan 2023 - 2027 (MMP) was underway.
The Exemption Order was granted with conditions, including restrictions on mining activities within 10 metres of significant black cockatoo nesting trees.
In granting Alcoa the Exemption Order, a government media statement attributed to Premier Roger Cook and former Environment Minister Reece Whitby on 14 December 2023 stated that “any breach of conditions would see the exemption immediately cancelled.”
DWER’s Alcoa Assurance Program (p6) states that the order ceases to have effect in the event of Alcoa being found to have breached conditions.
The evidence provided to DWER shows that restricted mining activities have occurred within 10 metres of a tree that meets the definition of a Huntly Mine Significant Tree and that the disturbance occurred some time between December 2023 and September 2024, while the Exemption Order was in place.
The Greens (WA) Environment spokesperson Jess Beckerling MLC said if DWER confirms a breach, Alcoa’s Exemption Order must be immediately cancelled.
“The evidence that Alcoa has conducted mining operations within 10 metres of this ancient King Jarrah tree, in breach of the existing exemption order, is very compelling.
“If the breach is confirmed, which I am confident it must be, then Alcoa must be immediately notified that its special exemption from WA’s environment laws is no longer valid and any clearing or mining activities must cease at least until the EPA’s assessment is complete.
“The Cook Government should never have granted Alcoa this exemption from our environment laws in the first place, and the conditions imposed were wholly inadequate.
“A clear commitment was made to cancel Alcoa’s exemption if any breaches occurred. If this breach is confirmed, the Government must immediately cancel the exemption order, Alcoa’s clearing must stop and no fresh order should be issued.
“This ancient jarrah tree has a circumference of nearly 7 metres indicating it is likely to be over 400 years old, growing here since Galileo was studying the stars 200 years before Europeans arrived in Western Australia.
“Even without this suspected breach, the government and Alcoa both know that a 10 metre buffer is a death sentence for ancient trees, which is why the buffer zone is scheduled to be increased to 50 metres from 1 January 2027. That buffer zone should have been 50m from the start.
“No tree of this size or age is going to survive on a 10 metre island in a huge mine site and satellite imagery shows this particular tree has died in the last 12 months, almost certainly as a direct result of ground disturbance around its base by Alcoa.
“Questions must also be answered about Alcoa’s compliance monitoring. Did the agency engaged to monitor Alcoa’s compliance carry out any assessment, or was this serious issue missed or overlooked?
“Alcoa is responsible for more deforestation in WA than any other company; a completely inadequate 10 metre buffer means that the few biggest remaining ancient marri and jarrah trees are dying as a result of mining around their bases, posing a severe extinction threat to Black Cockatoos, just so Alcoa can make a few extra dollars.”