Growers call for farm protection amid mining plans

Wimmera growers have called for safeguards on agricultural businesses as the local council balances prime land sales next to a potential 3600-hectare mining project.

Wimmera growers have called for safeguards on agricultural businesses as the local council balances prime land sales next to a potential 3600-hectare mining project.

The Horsham Rural City Council is intending to sell nearly 60 hectares of land at Dooen, the Wimmera Agricultural and Logistics Hub, which is located next to WIM Resource’s proposed Avonbank Mineral Sands Project.

Chris Johns’ family has been farming next to the hub – which aimed to be a “major intermodal freight and logistics” precinct to improve goods transport – for 140 years.

The Johns family is calling on the council to disallow mineral sands processing from the WAL Hub.

“The original HRCC plans for the hub have changed to permit the ‘processing’ of mineral sands and not just for its freight logistics,” Mr Johns said.

“If I was buying land anywhere in the Wimmera I’d first be looking to see if there’s any proposed rare earth mineral sands mining activity on it or nearby.”

At Horsham Council’s July meeting, Councillor Ian Ross said he was concerned about the risks from mineral sands mining, and potential radiation contamination from the transport of heavy mineral sands.

Mayor Robyn Gulline said discussing the potential mine would be irrelevant to the meeting.

Cr Ross disagreed with the mayor, and said there was the opportunity for the particles to travel up to five or six kilometres in the wind, which was “well within range” of the WAL Hub.

The Avonbank project intends to use the freight precinct for ore processing and product-loading activities, with a total operational life of 36 years.

The mining project aims to supply zircon and titanium-rich mineral concentrates to international markets, with operations running for 24-hours, 365 days a year. It neighbours broadacre farmland, grain handling businesses and Longerenong College.

The mining of these mineral concentrates, including uranium and thorium, causes radioactive gases to release.

The project outlined there were about 16 “directly and indirectly” affected farming families in the project area. It is understood there are four farming families who would need to leave their farms.

The project proposal is with the Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny. The Weekly Times did not receive a response from her office by deadline.

HRCC investment attraction and growth manager Fiona Gormann said the council’s real estate agent provided potential buyers with the relevant information on the WAL Hub site.

This included a precinct schedule, planning scheme and development plan, which showed the land intentions and potential for the mineral sands project.

“The Planning Scheme Schedule 9 clearly articulates and controls the uses for the precinct which have been identified as grain and bulk agricultural produce, mineral sands, warehousing and logics, large and small manufacturing and highway businesses,” Ms Gormann said.