By Lauren Henry

The ‘Getting Wimmera Mallee Mining Ready’ forum in Horsham yesterday aimed to increase regional participation and drive economic benefit for the Wimmera and Mallee.

The forum was aimed at businesses that provide products, equipment, services or workforce solutions, such as catering, cleaning, engineering, trades, civil works, accommodation, maintenance, protection equipment, testing, logistics and other construction and operational support services.

Local businesses, manufacturers and service providers had an opportunity to hear directly from mining companies, industry representatives and project developers; learn more about upcoming project pipelines and delivery timelines; learn what proponents, environmental, procurement, construction contractors and tier‑one suppliers need from local suppliers and workers; and connect with workforce, training and employment supports to help get project‑ready.

The forum follows a State Government announcement on Monday saying it would establish a new group to strengthen mine rehabilitation requirements for agricultural land in the Wimmera and Mallee.

The Mineral Sands Agricultural Land Restoration Working Group will aim to bring together farmers, experts and the resources sector to provide advice on land restoration. 

The government is keen to see its Critical Minerals Roadmap help drive mineral sands development, which it says ‘will coexist alongside farming, to benefit the regions where mining will take place’. The working group will address concerns about the impact of mineral sands development on the long-term productivity of agricultural land, including how soil productivity can be restored, and over what timeframe.

The group will be chaired by Professor Mohan Yellishetty, from Monash University, an expert in sustainable mineral resource development.

“This group will provide independent, evidence‑based guidance on restoring agricultural land post-mining,” Professor Yellishetty said.

Victorian Farmers Federation, Wimmera Catchment Management Authority, Yarriambiack Shire Council, Horsham Rural City Council, Agriculture Victoria and the Minerals Council of Australia representatives will form the group. 

“Victoria has three per cent of the nation’s arable land but produces 25 per cent of the nation’s agricultural output,” VFF president Ryan Milgate said.  

“It’s imperative if this land is mined, we ensure it can be restored to its former condition.”

The group will engage a range of stakeholders and technical experts to ensure robust, practical and regionally relevant advice is provided to Resources Victoria.

Energy and Resources Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said with more mining planned to take place in the Wimmera Mallee in the coming years, the working group would inform miners about how to minimise impacts on long-term farm productivity.

She said farming and mining could coexist, and the work would make sure to maintain the productivity of Victoria’s agricultural land during and after mineral sands mining in the region.

“Restoring agricultural land in the Wimmera Mallee following mineral sands development is a critical part of the mining process, not an optional add on,” she said.

“We are making sure farmers have a seat at the table to tell us about their concerns and share their expertise.”

Mr Weidemann said the group should have been in place from the beginning.

“The government is now conceding to the public, with the announcement of this committee, that they’ve got it wrong – we were telling them all along that they’ve got it wrong,” he said.

Member for Lowan Emma Kealy said after years of advocacy from local farmers, the agriculture sector and herself, the government had ‘finally admitted it needs to do more to address concerns about mineral sands mining in the Wimmera Mallee region’.

Ms Kealy said she first called on the government to provide a pathway for those affected by mining to directly address their concerns with the government and be given a voice in projects that impacted them.

She said key concerns were the lack of monitoring of mining companies’ activities, the lack of accessible, trustworthy information available to affected communities, and what protections were in place for landholders.

Ms Kealy’s advocacy has included requesting the Premier organise community forums in the region with key government departments, and also the government initiate a comprehensive review of the state’s mineral sands mining regulatory framework to strengthen safeguards for productive farmland – both of which the government were yet to do.

“The working group is a step in the right direction in ensuring that our communities and particularly the agricultural sector has a voice in this issue,” she said.

“However it is incredibly frustrating and upsetting for farmers and communities dealing with these projects to have waited so long for the government to recognise how crucial it is that their views and expertise are considered.

“For too long, the voice of agriculture and our local farmers have not been included in discussions around these types of developments, despite the huge impact such projects have on the agricultural sector.

“This working group is a start, but we need to go further and ensure there is legislation in place that recognises agriculture’s critical importance and ensures strengthened protections for productive land within Victoria’s planning and environmental approvals framework.

“It’s also critical that there is fair compensation for the landholders, neighbours and communities who host these projects.

“We are sick of having major projects thrust upon us by the Labor government, when all we get in return is far less than our fair share, disintegrating road and rail networks, insufficient housing, and worsening access to local health and mental health support.”

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