General News
12 December, 2024
Farmers maintain the fight to protect their land after government announcement
Dooen farmers say they are still in the fight against losing farms to mining
Dooen farmers were left reeling on Tuesday, December 10, when the Victorian Government approved the Environmental Effects Studies for the Avonbank Mine.
Despite the announcement, it has opened a federal government door for the farming community to continue its fight.
Farmer and Mine Free Wimmera Farms secretary Russell Heard voiced his dismay at the announcement, which he said was made even worse for its lack of reference to the human element.
"Yes, we need to protect the environment, flora and fauna, but there's absolutely no reference about farmer's mental health and well-being, which I find disgraceful," he said.
"It is just another example of the abandonment of the agricultural industry by this government.
"Even the most die-hard Labor government members should be questioning the ethics of this decision.
"And to make it even more stressful for the farmers, they release this information in the middle of harvest which has been interrupted by rain and two weeks before Christmas. It's just beyond the pale."
Sixth-generation Dooen farmer Gavin Puls said it was not the end of the battle.
"We are still in the fight," he said.
"It's only a couple of weeks ago we were told by WIM it had been approved and by the government that it hadn't been. What are we supposed to believe?"
Speaking on behalf of the WIM Resource Board of Directors, John Bradley said he looked forward to working with all stakeholders as they bring Avonbank into production.
"Our project will support 967 FTE jobs per annum for the State of Victoria, for over 30 years and will inject $15 billion in gross revenue across a range of industries, and $3.5 billion in gross state product within the Wimmera Southern Mallee region," he said.
Federal Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster agreed it wasn't the end of the road for the farmers.
The EES approval meant they could now elevate their appeal to the federal level and apply to the Victorian minister to have their farms excluded from the licence.
She said the conclusion of the Victorian EES process now activated a federal review.
"I have written to Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek saying there are significant concerns about the project," she said.
"Threatened species and radiation grounds must be considered by the current, or potentially future, Minister."
Ms Plibersek has the power to exclude land from the licence if the licensee consents to the exclusion.
The landowners can apply on the basis that continuing to use the land for agricultural purposes would benefit Victoria more economically.
This process has given the farmers hope in their fight to protect land that has been farmed since settlement.
"The government is playing games with our farmers who are the lifeblood of the Wimmera and Mallee; they provide food security, so they should have primacy," Dr Webster said.
"I cannot help but agree with farmers who have highlighted that Western Australian mining legislation gives farmers a right of veto, and that has not stopped WA reaping huge royalties from significant mining operations."
The EES approval of the Avonbank Mine does not automatically grant permission to mine.
WIM Resource said it doesn't expect to begin mining before 2026, but that is still subject to approvals and finance.
The proposed Avonbank open-cut mine would be only 15 kilometres northeast of Horsham.
If the Avonbank Mine goes ahead, generational farmer Chris John's family would lose access to the family home and would need a permit from the mining company to enter their property.
"I don't mind telling you there were some tears shed on Tuesday but we're okay," he said.
"We are still in the fight and we'll keep going."
Horsham Rural City Council mayor Ian Ross said he was disappointed with the planning minister's decision
"There are still so many unanswered questions," he said.
"The storage of heavy metal concentrate at the Western Intermodal Freight Terminal, for one, how will they keep it from blowing across our communities, and how much water will that take to keep it dampened down?
"The state government has made the mining industry almost self-regulatory and that's after the debacle we've already experienced with mining in our municipality at Douglas.
"This indicates a conflict of interest. It's like letting Dracula loose in the blood bank, and you can quote me on that."
On December 10, the state government also approved the 1534-hectare Goshen mine project south of Swan Hill
On December 9, Victorian Energy and Resources Minister Lily D'Ambrosio announced a new critical mineral road map for Victoria reducing the time frame for mine approval by almost half, from three years to 18 months.