This if the view of Eric Kotz, who has resigned from the Port Lincoln Community Action Group .

He said his suggestions for compromise were rejected by the group.

“I was elected to the group at a public meeting, and I made it clear I may be the devil’s advocate, and I thought that would have ensured good healthy debate,” he said.

“I resigned because the group was not prepared to debate – I was told we’re not there to debate the issue, just to do everything possible to prevent it.

“Not everything coming out of the CAG is agreed with by the rest of the committee.”

He said if Centrex could not ship from a local port, they would leave the area, along with other companies whose operations hinged on a mining port being developed.

This could mean small communities like Lock and Kimba would fall over without mining to sustain them into the future.

“The logic I’m putting forward for a compromise is if Centrex aren’t allowed to get started because there’s no port to ship from, the other companies gearing up and spending a lot of money will pull the pin.

“I don’t believe the State Government would let that happen.”

Mr Kotz said he worked on setting up mines for 15 years, so he had a solid understanding of the issue.

He said the Port Lincoln wharf could be used as a temporary facility while another port was built.

“The alternative is leaving it in the ground until the port’s built – then the port won’t ever get built.

“I’m a great believer the port should be built somewhere between Tumby Bay and Port Neill as a multi-use port, and I believe eventually most of Eyre Peninsula’s grain would go out through that port and eliminate trucks going through Port Lincoln.”

Community Action Group member Gyn Hyde said there was no animosity over Mr Kotz’s decision to resign, as the group wanted to focus on working against shipping from Port Lincoln rather than considering temporary options.

“We respected his point of view and encouraged him to present it to council,” she said.

“It’s a good thing in that we didn’t want to spend these meetings debating something we had gone past.

“He chose to resign because we as a group are against shipping from Port Lincoln, but he agrees with the temporary option for Port Lincoln.”