Specifically, they were protesting the government's decision to open up a significant portion of the conservation bestate/b for mining. In a speech to the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Minister of Energy and Resources Gerry Brownlee stated that: ... A recent report by Richard Barker estimated our bmetallic/b mineral potential to have a gross in-ground value in excess of $140 billion, with lignite alone at least an additional $100 billion. ...
