Financial, environmental, and safety challenges have surfaced at the troubled Nathan River Resources (NRR) mine situated in the remote Northern Territory. Since Good Friday, NRR has suspended over 40 employees without compensation at its Roper Bar site, located approximately 600 kilometers southeast of Darwin.
A contractor from Queensland, Brendan Haines, has asserted that his company is owed over $200,000 by NRR for services rendered. In correspondence shared with ABC, NRR cited the ongoing fuel crisis as a contributing factor to its financial difficulties. However, labor unions have dismissed this explanation, labeling it a mere excuse and claiming that the mine has been poorly managed for several months.
Union representatives indicate that workers have not received their wages for weeks and are also owed months of superannuation, while contractors and suppliers face financial losses. Haines, who provided road trains and side tippers to the mine for five months last year, expressed frustration over the situation, stating, “We’ve had to sell two trucks to keep ourselves afloat. It’s disheartening as we are trying to grow our family-run business, but we cannot do so while owed significant amounts of money.”
He further criticized the Northern Territory government for not taking action at the mine, especially since they granted NRR a license following a “fit and proper person” assessment. “They should have shut it down,” he remarked, adding that many individuals could suffer financially and emotionally due to these issues.
In a separate incident, an injured worker on compensation informed ABC that the NT government’s work safety regulator had been made aware months ago of several unpaid employees under the scheme. Concerns about environmental and safety standards have also been raised, with David Hayes, an organizer for the Electrical Trades Union, receiving reports of pollution attributed to the mine. The ABC has acquired photographs depicting allegedly contaminated waterways near the site from the previous year.
Hayes stated, “The pollution reports we are receiving are highly concerning and should alarm both the NT government and the traditional owners of the area. This information reveals a pattern of poor practices that have persisted for some time, necessitating regulatory oversight to address these issues.”
The NT Department of Lands, Planning and Environment (DLPE) has announced that it is currently examining a self-reported “spill” incident from NRR at the nearby Bing Bong Port loading facility. Hayes also expressed apprehension regarding safety regulations at the mine, noting that NT WorkSafe had last conducted an inspection in 2025 but provided prior notice to NRR, allowing the mine to conceal deficiencies.
He commented, “This advance notice gave the mine the chance to mask its shortcomings, preventing the regulator from gaining an accurate understanding of the situation.” Hayes urged the NT government to allocate adequate funding to its regulatory bodies to facilitate inspections of non-compliant operators like NRR, emphasizing that insufficient resources have hindered effective oversight in regional and remote areas.
NT Mining Minister Gerard Maley stated that the DLPE is “actively working” with NRR on issues within its jurisdiction, but clarified that the department’s responsibilities do not include the company’s employment matters, which fall under NRR’s purview. Maley added that he has informed the minister overseeing WorkSafe about these concerns.
Both NRR and NT WorkSafe have been approached for comments regarding these issues.
