Bougainville Copper seeks judicial review over lost licence

One of the two companies vying to re-open Bougainville's Panguna mine has told the Australian share market that its exploration licence remains intact.

This comes after it sought a judicial review and won a stay in the National Court of Papua New Guinea on a Bougainville government decision last January to refuse its application to extend its licence.   

The Autonomous Bougainville Government announced earlier this month that it was placing a moratorium on mining at Panguna because of the lack of unity among the landowners and the risk the matter could undermine the preparations for the independence referendum next year.

Don Wiseman raised this matter with Bougainville Copper Ltd's company secretary, Mark Hitchcock, but began by looking at the legal action taken by the company.