Residents fear they will lose multi-million dollar industries and be at risk of exposure to potential cancer-causing materials if the Gippsland Critical Minerals’ (GCM) Fingerboards Project goes ahead.
According to the GCM website, the mineral sands mine at Glenaladale will access a nationally-significant deposit of rare earth elements and critical minerals that will be vital to supporting new technologies in renewable energy, computing, defence and medical science.
GCM has been given 12 months to re-shape the project originally put forward by Kalbar Resources Pty Ltd.
That proposal was scrapped in 2021, when Victoria’s then-Minister for Planning Richard Wynne said the project “would pose a significant risk to the environment and valuable horticultural industry.”
However, many concerned residents have been fighting a new but familiar battle in recent months in their opposition to GCM’s re-scoped development proposal, which the organisation says will create over 200 local jobs for the life of the mine.
One of those residents is semi-retired Lindenow Valley vegetable grower John Hine, who says he and others in his community “have had enough” of fighting to oppose yet another mineral sands mine project.
“We thought it was all done and dusted [after the Kalbar Resources proposal was scrapped]. There were massive amounts of environmental issues with the project’s location,” Hine told The Epoch Times.
“And a lot of residents live close by. There’s a horticulture industry worth millions of dollars, like $150-200 million in turnover pre-COVID.
“You’ve got the Mitchell River, and tourism that feeds off that.
“There were a range of major issues that they can never address. It’s all very good saying we’re changing a project by re-scoping.
Community Spends Years Working Against Project
Hine said many East Gippsland residents harbour concerns that dust from the Fingerboards Project could contain monazite and thorium–which are radioactive–as well as silica, which causes lung disease.“We fought for eight years [against the Kalbar Resources proposal], and we’re honest, down-to-earth people.
“We’re not anti-mining or anything like that. It was just totally wrong.
“Dust will travel 10-40 kilometres without any issue. We get these south-west wind changes, and they’re strong winds.
“All these industries are downwind from it. I just fear for the people.”
Hine said the community initially opposed the sands mine through a petition to former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, which picked up almost 4,000 signatures.
“Over 900 submissions went into the IAC [Inquiry and Advisory Committee]. I think there were seven for the mine and 900 against it. They went to the mining company’s presentation nights.
Hine said after a 300 page report was compiled and submitted, the minister eventually decided to push ahead.
The Epoch Times contacted both the office of new Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny and the Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio for comment.
Nationals MP Says Most of the Community Back the Project
Meanwhile, Victorian Nationals Member for Gippsland East Tim Bull said there was still some time to go in regards to whether or not GCM’s Fingerboards Project would go ahead.“They [GCM] have got until December to decide if they want to proceed any further,” he said.
“And if they do, that of course must go through all the stringent environmental tests that it went through last time [with Kalbar Resources].
“There are mixed views in the community. There are some in the community who are opposed, and there are some in the community who are in favour.
“And I think the vast majority are happy to abide by the environmental assessments.
“That’s been my take on it, having been through the process once before.
“But I’m very keen to see if there is [an official] proposal lodged that all the environmental processes are viable.”
