Allegations of corruption brought up at government mining inquiry in Orange

Lisa Paton has long campaigned against the McPhillamy's Gold Mine project near Blayney on the basis of the land's cultural significance to the Aboriginal community as well as the European and settler history surrounding the area. She is also an Aboriginal person with connections to both Wiradjuri and Bundjalung ancestry.

In March 2023, the gold mine - which is owned by Regis Resources - gained conditional approval by the IPC.

On October 3, Ms Paton spoke in front of the NSW Legislative Council at the Orange Ex-Services' Club where she said the assessment process was "flawed."

Liberal Party member and Legislative Council panellist on the day, Susan Carter MLC, questioned some of the reports in relation to cultural heritage in which "different conclusions" were made as to the number of scar trees on the land where the gold mine would be built.

This was the starting point for Ms Paton questioning the reports which led to the mine's conditional approval.

"There seems to be different views in this space from competing experts as to what is culturally significant and what is not and that's why there should be an independent study," Ms Paton said.

Ms Carter then asked if Ms Paton was suggesting some of the experts had "been compromised."

"Are you suggesting they get paid for their results," Ms Carter asked.

"Experts. generally one would expect to be paid for their work. When we start saying they're not independent, the question arises whether you believe they are paid to reach an outcome."

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"I feel that, like in any industry, if you're not giving the organisation that's paying you what they need, then you're not going to get any extra work in the future. That's my personal opinion," Ms Paton responded.

When the project was approved in March, the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) acknowledged concerns raised by stakeholders about social and amenity impacts including visual, air quality, noise and vibration impacts, and impacts on water resources, Aboriginal cultural heritage, biodiversity and agriculture.

The IPC also found these impacts could be effectively avoided, minimised or offset through the strict conditions of consent imposed.

Regis would be required to prepare and implement a range of comprehensive management plans and report on mitigation measures, monitoring results and compliance with performance criteria on an ongoing basis to ensure value and benefits to the community in which it will operate.

Ms Paton noted her belief wasn't that the studies were invalid because not all of the land was surveyed - which is common practice to survey a select section of land and extrapolate the results - but instead the study was not valid because "it wasn't done properly."

Once again, this thought process was questioned by Ms Carter.

"This has been submitted to IPC, DPE and nobody else has raised issues (studies) haven't been done properly," she said.

"My question really is, if these surveys have been submitted to other regulatory bodies, why has this not been picked up."

In response, Ms Paton said she could only surmise that "because we had an intention as a previous (Liberal) state government to have a mining boom in the Central West, that any (cultural) sites that were uncovered may create an issue with that."

Ms Carter asked if she was suggesting government bodies acted in breach of the legislation.

"I can't say that 100 per cent," Ms Paton responded.

"But potentially."

The Liberal Party and the IPC have both been approached for comment.

A Regis spokesperson said they would not comment at this time.

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