It is extremely disappointing that the concerns of the community and Horsham Rural City Council have not been addressed prior to Labor granting a licence for this project.
At no stage has the impact on productive agricultural land and food production been adequately considered. This is exactly why I introduced a Private Members Bill to protect agricultural land and food security.
Avonbank’s EES panel did not include a single agricultural expert, despite the fact the proposed mine sits adjacent to a multi-million-dollar food production hub and critical infrastructure.
This raises deep concerns for WIM Resource’s ability to create social licence and work respectfully with the local community, and they must explain how these outstanding concerns will be addressed before the project progresses any further.