- OPINION: One mine, one mineral, one question
The two protagonists have been in dispute over the rights and wrongs of the proposed Santana gold mine in Bendigo near Tarras, eventually early last month reaching some sort of agreement to stage a debate about its merits.
But Sir Ian said since then he had sent emails to Mr Jones’ office and got no reply about a possible date and no date had been set.
‘‘I’m very much keen to debate him. We know he is an orator and says a lot of things but he is not stepping up to answer some of these questions.’’
He said much of what Mr Jones had to say about the virtues of the Santana gold mine and the impact it would have on the environment had to be challenged.
Sir Ian said he was looking forward to getting into the boxing ring with Mr Jones but in reality he would much rather dance with Mr Jones and get in the same step as him.
‘‘We are both after the same thing — we want to invest in the regional economy and create high-value jobs. But I think there are other ways to do that than mining.’’
There had been the suggestion media personality Paddy Gower could be the mediator, Sir Ian said.
Mr Jones said he had double-checked with his office and had confirmed with Sir Ian he was very keen to debate but he was just looking to find a suitable date in his diary.
‘‘But the way Sir Ian has been talking he is looking at some sort of woke organic mung bean tea party fireside chat,’’ Mr Jones said.
He was not interested in that at all.
‘‘It has to be a robust debate because it is about something robust. The extraction industry. I’m the baby dig minister.
‘‘I’m very willing to do it. I am not trying to chicken out of it. A chicken is a hen and a rooster and I am a rooster. Let me crow — very loudly.’’
Perhaps each man could pick half the crowd but in the end he did not mind who was in the crowd, Mr Jones said. He was very much a supporter of the mine and all its benefits.
He suggested the debate could be in Tarras though someone might be crucified, he said. He said Paddy Gower was too unstable for a debate like this. He favoured someone like Jamie Mackay.
Sir Sam Neill has been criticised by Mr Jones for his opinions on the mine but Mr Jones said yesterday he had been contacted by many people telling him to lay off Sir Sam.
‘‘So I won’t be standing on the tail of that friendly Labrador any more. Been told about that. The big brown Dalmatian from Kaitaia won’t be doing that any more.’’
