Horsham business owners are questioning the process and openness of the Avonbank Mineral Sands Mine after learning their 'endorsements' may contribute to the eviction of Dooen farmers from their homes and land.
Speaking exclusively to The Wimmera Mail-Times, several Horsham business owners said they were shocked to learn their backing to grow the economy would negatively impact scores of families.
Some said they only discovered farmers would lose their homes after submissions were made public, at times, months after the fact.
Others said they were unaware landowners had not agreed to mining on their land.
Farmers and local business owners have questioned the submission process used by WIM Resource.
"There's an imbalance here of power, money, everything," said Luke Molyneaux, who runs his family's property dating back to the 1870s.
Two business owners said they had not lodged the written submission but had verbally supported the mine based on what they were told during conversations with WIM Resource representatives.
They would not have agreed to support the mine if they had been told farmers would lose homes and land; both want those submissions withdrawn.
Related: Dooen Farmers take on Avonbank Mineral Sands Mine
Lowan MP Emma Kealy said it was extremely disappointing, and the process has created unnecessary stress for landholders.
"Unfortunately, I'm hearing from too many landholders and even a local Council that WIM Resources have not done enough to engage in an open and respectful way, to listen to landholder concerns and work with the local community to address these concerns," she said.
Chris Johns said his 86-year-old father, Max, is devastated they'll lose use of the family home.
"My wife Donna and I are, too; our son Lachie lives in the family home and manages the farm," he said.
"He'll have to move out. And I believe I'll have to get a permit and an escort to even drive onto my own property if the mine goes ahead."
Mr Johns is a fifth-generation farmer on their property.
Related: Dooen farmer said he won't live to see the return of his land to the family
Luke Molyneaux's family has farmed the property since the 1870s, and he will lose his family home and farming land.
In his submission to Planning Panel Victoria, he said he would only move once and if the matter was resolved.
"There's an imbalance here of power, money, everything," he said.
Generational farming often includes other family members' farms, so if one is negatively impacted, it risks all of them, and this is an additional challenge the Molyneaux family faces.
Growing support from National MPs
Local representatives - Emma Kealy from the state seat of Lowan and Dr Anne Webster from the Federal division of Mallee - have thrown their support behind the affected families.
"Mineral sand mining can be done well, safely and provide enormous benefits to the local region, but it has to be done right and in lockstep with community expectations and needs," Ms Kealy said.
"This is extremely disappointing and has unnecessarily caused extreme stress for impacted landholders."
Four families will be evicted from their homes, and many more will lose prime cropping and grazing land inside the proposed mine boundary.
Related:
About 3546 hectares of prime farming land have been earmarked for Stage 1 of the Avonbank Mine.
Additional exploration/retention licences have been approved on land in the Kalkee area.
Dr Webster said she appreciates the time affected farmers have spent sharing their concerns about the mining project.
"As I have stated in the past, major infrastructure developments require social licence from the community, and meaningful consultation is critical to securing that," she said.
"I will be meeting with WIM in the near future to discuss community concerns."
Local business owners' concerns
Leon and Gloria Forrest have owned Wimmera Bearings in Horsham for 25 years and said WIM representatives encouraged them to lodge a support submission for the mine.
"We were asked several times to lodge a submission that supported the mine, and we eventually did, based on the fact it would provide jobs and increased business in the town," they said.
"We had no idea it involved people losing their homes or their farms.
"If we had known that, we would not have lodged the submission."
Mr and Mrs Forrest said they were shocked to learn their submission could contribute to people losing their homes.
"These people are our customers, and they are our friends, and our business has been built through their loyalty to us and ours to them. We did not have all the facts," they said.
Mr and Mrs Forrest said they assumed, at the time, that any landowners involved had been consulted and were in agreement.
"When we learned that was not the case, in fact, the farmers had not agreed nor had they been properly consulted with, we were shocked," they said.
Gavin Morrow of Morrow Motor Group received a glossy brochure and an email from WIM asking for support for the mine.
"I stand by my original submission based on what I knew at the time, and I support growth for the town, schools, accommodation, and our retail businesses," he said.
"But I would not have lodged the submission if I had known the impact this would have on the farmers.
"I would never support a project that would cause people to lose their homes."
Concerns raised during investigations by WMT included the promise of significant work for local businesses from WIM Resource if submissions favoured the mine, lack of information about the boundaries of the mine, what properties would be involved, and the well-being of the farmers impacted.
They said the connection to their homes and land through generational farming, the emotional impact, and the potential financial loss had been downplayed in the documentation provided to the public.
Three of the farmer's legal fees have topped $80,000.
Dooen farmer's legal bills out of control trying to save farms and homes from mining.
In addition to those losing whole or part of their land and homes, the mine boundary will be within metres of other properties.
"The mine boundary will be about 800 metres from my home," Mr Gavin Puls said.
He is a sixth-generation farmer and will lose 404 hectares to mining, the equivalent of 1000 acres, and he is facing the same fate among others.
"Our family has been here since 1873, and I'll feel guilty for the rest of my life if this happens when I'm in charge," he said.
"Mining over food production, I don't understand that."
No compensation has been agreed on between the Dooen farmers and WIM.
Farmers wait to learn their fate
Planning Panel Victoria had 40 days from the last day of the Hearing on August 24 to advise the Minister of their recommendation to approve the licence to mine or to reject it.
The submissions made by community members and stakeholders form part of that decision-making process and can be viewed on the Engage Victoria website.
The public hearing ran for 14 days across four weeks, from Monday, July 31, to Thursday, August 24, 2023.
Ownership of the land by these farmers or anyone else is not a reason for the mining licence to be refused.
The Wimmera Mail-Times contacted WIM Resource, the Horsham Rural City Council, and Planning Panels Victoria.
The proposed mine would sit on 3600 hectares of land.
Read More: Patchwork Jungle business at risk of contamination from mining dust.
.The proposed Avonbank Mineral Sands Project is located in Victoria's Wimmera Southern Mallee region. It involves mining the Avonbank ore body to produce a heavy mineral concentrate product that contains zircon, titanium-rich mineral concentrate, and minor amounts of rare earth products.
The Avonbank mine is expected to produce approximately 12.75 million tonnes of product over 30 years. which will be transported to Portland by road for the overseas market, mainly China.
According to WIM Resource, the mine will supply around 600 full-time equivalent jobs every year across the 30-year life of the mine and pull in more than $3.5 billion in Gross State Product for the region
Construction is anticipated to begin from late 2024 onwards if the Project gains all required approvals
