Radiation fears, contentious business practices at the heart of proposed mineral sands mine hearing
A surge in applications to mine and explore for mineral sands in Victoria has got alarm bells ringing over the future of prime farming land. Six different proposals are at various stages of development as mining companies chase the critical minerals needed globally for the manufacture of batteries and other technologies. But farmers say the land in question is key cropping country and are worried about the impact on their existing farms.
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00:00 The Bennett family has been farming this land in northern Victoria for 130 years.
00:09 But they may not be able to continue if a mineral sand mine is approved just 500 metres
00:14 from their home.
00:15 It's been very stressful.
00:18 It's on your mind, day and night.
00:21 The application has been made by mining company VHM.
00:24 The minerals VHM wants to harvest are used in many new technologies, but they also contain
00:29 the radioactive elements uranium and thorium.
00:32 And that's a concern for the Bennett's, who harvest rainwater from their rooftops.
00:36 We have rainwater tanks as our water supply for everything, for drinking, eating, cooking,
00:44 washing.
00:45 All of our rainwater is harvested from the roofs that are going to be covered in radioactive
00:50 dust.
00:52 The project is just one of the mineral sand mines slated for Victoria in coming years.
00:57 Six other mineral sand mines are in planning and exploration stages.
01:00 And a mine at Donald has already been approved.
01:03 To be able to make use of the materials that we already have and to value add in terms
01:08 of getting greater gain for the Australian economy is kind of a natural no-brainer.
01:13 Australia's mineral sand deposits are among the richest and most useful in the world.
01:17 The Minerals Council says Australia is home to 32% of the world's ilmenite and 62% of
01:23 its rutile.
01:25 Uranium elements used in the production of paint and medical implants and 68% of global
01:29 zircon deposits used in ceramics and electronic products.
01:33 The sands also contain rare earth elements, crucial in building green technologies like
01:38 wind turbines and rechargeable batteries.
01:41 The federal government is keen to capitalise, expanding the funding available to the critical
01:45 minerals sector to $6 billion to help mining companies harvest and process deposits.
01:51 You can provide government support to help spark investment in manufacturing and processing
01:58 of critical minerals.
02:02 Peter and Leanne Pohler live next door to the Bennetts and fear the mines could put
02:05 at risk some of Victoria's most productive cropping land.
02:08 If it was just the money we'd probably find something else to do.
02:14 We feel we're doing something that's important, growing food.
02:18 We really do feel that.
02:20 But not everyone is against the proposal.
02:23 For some businesses in the small town of Kerrang, the prospect of hundreds of new jobs coming
02:28 into the region is a rare and exciting one.
02:31 And they're keen to cash in.
02:34 Rob Sutterby runs a local hotel and says anything that boosts the local population should be
02:39 welcomed.
02:40 500 jobs the first couple of years and 300 for the next 30 to 40 years just for that
02:44 one project.
02:45 Just bringing that many people in well employed, affluent sort of jobs, technical jobs, into
02:52 the country is a huge bonus for the region.
02:55 The state government has set up an advisory committee to look at the proposal.
02:59 Its report is due in June.
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