State minister gives wheatbelt mines a green light

Two major mining projects have been given the go ahead in Victoria’s wheatbelt, as farmers wait for further details.

The Victorian government has given the green light to two major mineral sands projects in the Wimmera-Mallee, leaving neighbouring croppers anxiously awaiting more details.

Minister Sonya Kilkenny filed her assessment for VHM Limited’s Goschen Mineral Sands and Rare Earths Project at Lalbert, and WIM Resource’s Avonbank Project at Dooen. Both projects could proceed if they met the listed requirements.

The Avonbank project near Horsham is a 3546ha, 36-year critical minerals mine, which will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In her 127-page assessment, Ms Kilkenny said the project would not cause unacceptable environmental effects on values including agriculture, land use, groundwater and more. However, “the project will result in a temporary change in land use from agriculture to mining across the proposed mining licence area,” she said.

She said there would be negligible risks to human health from water consumption possibly contaminated by dust deposition, and mental health risks from displacement would require “careful management”.

Dooen farmer Dean Johns initially heard of the project’s approval in mid-November when he received a call from a WIM Resource representative about the project’s approval, but the minister’s office told The Weekly Times it was still under review at the time. The minister’s assessment is dated for November 8, 2024.

Mr Johns said the labour redirection to mining projects would cause agriculture, health and other industries in the region to suffer.

“Everyone feels so powerless on what the future holds,” he said.

“Are we going to be allowed to farm there anymore? We have a home there that was sold to a third party, and they’ve been told they need to move out, so it will become derelict.

“The whole [mineral sands] stockpile is 150m away from our sheds. It’s a sad day for most of the landholders.”

He believed the rehabilitation would fail to restore the agricultural land to its original productivity, and state, local and mining authorities failed to properly consult.

“It’s not caring or nurturing to what people’s livelihoods will be in the future, and that’s the most disappointing part,” Mr Johns said.

Meanwhile, the Goschen project is an initial 1480ha site, with a 20-25 year lifespan, which will also operate full-time, with water supplied from the nearby Kangaroo Lake.

The project said it would temporarily remove land from agricultural production, on a “worst-case basis” for the 20-year life of the mine.

The EES said stripping and stockpiling activities could impact soil, and “ultimately impact the agricultural productivity of the land post rehabilitation”.

The minister’s 327-page assessment said the proponent entered voluntary contracts to purchase the land needed for mining.

“The [mining area] is currently used for broadacre farming, and it is intended it will be rehabilitated to its original agricultural capacity or better,” the assessment said.

Ms Kilkenny said it was crucial to balance development and environment, and the approvals put in safeguards for environmental protection.