General News
8 May, 2025
Mine Free Wimmera Farms respond to HRRC submission
Mine Free Wimmera Farm Inc responded to Horsham Rural City Council's successful motion to accept its draft submission to Resource Victoria on Thursday, May 1.
HRCC had requested an extension of the statutory 21 days to lodge its submissions they could meet with the community to compile issues and concerns regarding WIM Resource application for a Licence Avonbank Mine at Dooen near Horsham.
The statement said as a result of the community meeting at Dooen on April 13, Horsham Rural City Councillors on Monday, April 28 unanimously voted to request measures to be put in place to protect families, homes, businesses and agriculture from radioactive dust and other impacts from rare earth mineral sand mining at Dooen.
These measures and consideration were gathered from the Listening Post meeting of HRCC
"Council passed the motion to approve their drafted submission (with some minor amendments) to Resources Victoria for the Avonbank Mineral Sands project at Dooen.
"The submission has requested a separation distance of 2km from a sensitive receptor (homes and businesses) from rare earth minerals sands mining and processing.
"This similar distance, or greater, is enforced by the EPA for mineral sands mining in Western Australia and the Northern Territory," it said.
Secretary Russell Heard said, "Mine Free Wimmera Farms see this [submission] as a major step forward but requires the Victorian Government to listen to our rural communities and Councils.
"Rare earth mineral sands mining in Victoria is reaching a level of demand that sees ‘greedy’ planning policies encroaching into areas that may put the health and safety of communities, as well as food production, at risk," he said.
"MFWF believes no farmer should be exposed to working unsafely in the paddocks next to radioactive rare earth mineral sand mines and no family should be removed from their home."
Wind turbines in Victoria require a separation distance of 1 km from a sensitive receptor.
MFWF statement said, "The Avonbank mine is proposing to ship material to China for processing, and according to published reports in the Australian Government’s Rare Earth Review 2019, they will be supplying material that contains the rare earth elements Praseodymium, Neodymium, Dysprosium and Terbium, as well as Uranium and Thorium.
"Dysprosium and Terbium are on the Chinese Government’s newly created list of export controlled rare earths minerals," it said.
"All the Wimmera Mallee mining projects on farmland are producing similar rare earth minerals for export and they may now also fall under the recently announced Australian Government rare earth mineral stockpiling initiative.
"We understand no details on this matter will be finalised until after the Federal election."
Mr Heard said, "The Horsham Rural City Council’s submission also supports the removal of the State, Federal and locally funded Wimmera Intermodal Freight Terminal at Dooen, from inside the designated Avonbank mine licence area.
"This facility loads 15-20,000 containers of grain, hay and legumes annually for shipment to the Ports for export markets.
"This is another major step forward.
"MFWF sees this as safeguarding rail freight to ports for all industries and helps protect the export markets for the Wimmera’s world-class grain and hay producers," it said.
MFWF also said its members believes the Council's decision is not just about the Avonbank mine at Dooen, but also about other proposed mining projects surrounding Horsham and the Wimmera Mallee
"And there are many," it said.
The MFWF Incorporated Body members said they believe, "All these safeguards and other measures are essential if mining and agriculture are to coexist in our communities."
