Mine Free Glenaladale, Media Release, 31 May 2026

In December 2025 Resources Victoria granted a permit for a mining and rehabilitation test pit at the Fingerboards mineral sands project site with a seven month time frame. According to the Director of Regulatory Operations, Laura Helm, the test pit would “… address key knowledge gaps identified about the project following the previous Environment Effects Statement (EES) process.” 

This is despite the Independent Assessment Committee (IAC) stating, “The issues the IAC has identified leading to its recommendation in chief is the location is unsuitable for a major mining project …”

Spokesperson for Mine Free Glenaladale (MFG) Ms Robyn Grant said, “The seven months time frame for the test pit assessment is far too short to fully address the 49 threats and unacceptable impacts outlined in the Minister for Planning’s determination, following the rigorous and lengthy EES process in 2021 that rejected the proposed mine. 

“The short time frame is strange given the IAC statement ‘…the Proponent’s own expert acknowledged that a multi-year trial is needed to get the best approach in terms of topsoil depth, soil treatments, manufactured subsoil mix and other elements of rehabilitation. It seems to the IAC that such a fundamental issue would have been investigated and resolved, prior to the Project being put forward for assessment.’  Five years on from the IAC’s comment and GCM’s statement that the company is “re-scoping” the project, work on a seven month trial, not multi-year, has commenced.

“The current Minister for Planning, Sonya Kilkenny, has since required GCM to undertake a full Environment Effects Assessment for the re-scoped project.

“Under the present Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act the proposed Fingerboards project is to be assessed as a controlled action due to its serious environmental triggers.  These include potential impacts on Ramsar wetlands, migratory species, threatened species and nuclear actions in regard to the management of naturally occurring radioactive thorium, monazite and uranium in the ore body.

“Even though the test pit is a mini-mine and heavy mineral concentrate will be processed on site, it is not subject to an Environment Effects Statement or assessed under the EPBC Act.

“The community is concerned that the Government will fast track the regulatory process, without time to fully address the serious risks associated with a proposed mineral sands mine in this location.”

She also commented, “The size of the test pit is miniscule compared with the proposed mining operation.  It will only be mined to a depth of 20 metres and cover an area of 0.6 of a hectare in size. Whereas the planned mining voids will be up to 58 metres deep and according to the CEO, Michelle Wood, during mining the disturbed area will cover 15 per cent of the mine area, which is approximates to over 150 hectares.

“The test pit will prove very little and not fully address the risks associated with the proposed Fingerboards project. In addition, the construction of this test pit was begun in early autumn and will continue into the winter months, avoiding the strong windy conditions in spring and the dry months of summer. The issue of dust and contamination from this source will not be correctly addressed due to the weather conditions during this time.

“The test pit will not assess the destruction caused to the environment by the planned strip mining which involves clearing all vegetation in the mine’s path.

“Monitoring leaching of in-pit tailings disposal cannot be measured in the short term.  Leaching from this source could take many months or even years for any impacts to be observed in ground water, the Mitchell River and the Gippsland Lakes.

“With the test pit only operating for restricted daylight hours, the effects of noise and light on surrounding residents cannot be properly assessed, as the proposed mine will operate 24/7, 365 days a year.

“The success of rehabilitation is to be assessed following the completion of the test pit and replanting of the disturbed four hectare test pit site. The test pit is located in an area with dispersive soils which are notorious for their propensity for tunnel erosion. This erosion activity is insidious, and could take years to become apparent.

“The IAC commented with regard to rehabilitation ‘… there remains significant uncertainty which is likely to remain until onsite multi-year trials with in-situ materials are complete.'”

Ms Grant added, “To date there is very little transparency to this project.  Requests for baseline studies prior to the test pit Work Plan being approved, and the Work Plan itself, have not been forthcoming from either Resources Victoria or Gippsland Critical Minerals. The community is completely in the dark about many details relating to the test pit.

“The details of the test pit monitoring, set by Resources Victoria, also remain a mystery.  Requests for the staging of the monitoring program and the authorities qualified to assess this have not been revealed to the community. This is despite Ms Helm’s assurances that ‘we will monitor activities closely at the Fingerboards site – any failure to meet licence conditions which include adherence with the newly approved Work Plan could lead to one or both Retention licences being cancelled.'”

Ms Grant said, “The monitoring of the test pit is seen as an important part of the project and has called on Resources Victoria and GCM to be upfront with collated data.”

Ms Grant concluded, “The test pit process exhibits green-washing characteristics and the seven months time frame is insufficient to gather adequate and meaningful information for a thorough assessment of impacts. The comments by the IAC that multi-year trials are needed are being ignored.  The test pit will not allay concerns in the community as over time the project has been subject to spin and misinformation.”

Find the series of stories relating to the Fingerboards Project including statements by Gippsland Critical Minerals and the community action group opposing the project, Mine Free Glenaladale here: Fingerboards Mineral Sands