Each year $8million of taxpayers money is being spent to clean up the estimated 15,000 abandoned mines which present a risk to the public. When no one can be found to take responsibility for rehabilitation of mines, they are abandoned and in some cases when mining companies or their subsidiaries have become bankrupt, the bond they have paid to the government is not sufficient to cover the clean-up costs. Although the recent introduction of Chain of Responsibility provisions in the Queensland Environmental Protection Act mean that companies and their major shareholders can no longer hide behind subsidiaries in order to avoid rehabilitation costs, the legislation falls short in that it doesn’t allow the government to pursue the former owners of the 15,000 legacy abandoned mines. Read more at http://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/miners-should-pay-to-clean-up-mess/3046692/