EXPLORATION

YouTuber loses NSW gold licence

THE NEW South Wales Resources Regulator has cancelled a gold exploration licence near Wellington because the titleholder, Kris Hetherington, was the subject of a range of compliance and conduct issues including allegedly threatening inspectors on YouTube.

The Youtuber continued to take an aggressive, abusive and threatening approach in response to the regulator’s compliance activities.

The Youtuber continued to take an aggressive, abusive and threatening approach in response to the regulator’s compliance activities.

Exploration licence 8967 was cancelled effective from May 17 on the basis that the regulator was satisfied the titleholder had been undertaking mining without authorisation and was not a "fit and proper person" to hold a mining authorisation.

Resources Regulator executive director Anthony Keon said the titleholder's conduct during the regulator's investigation was extremely concerning and completely unacceptable, which warranted the immediate cancellation of the title.

"During the course of the investigation the titleholder posted numerous videos on YouTube, which made direct threats to an inspector and publicly posted abusive comments towards the department, other individuals and organisations," Keon said.

"Concerningly, despite being faced with the ultimate sanction of cancellation of the licence, the titleholder made little attempt to rectify the identified issues or show any remorse but instead continued to take an aggressive, abusive and threatening approach in response to the regulator's compliance activities.

"This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable and strikes at the very heart of a person's fitness to conduct mining activities in NSW and the Resources Regulator will not tolerate this type of behaviour.

"The regulator has a range of enforcement tools and will take strong and decisive action where it is found that licence holders are operating outside of their legislative obligations."

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