The Fingerboards Mineral Sands Project, proposed for the Lindenow Valley 270 kilometres east of Melbourne, was rejected by the Victorian government in November 2021 on the grounds it would "pose a significant risk to the environment and valuable horticulture industry". The government is now considering what it calls a "new and modified" bid from the company behind the project, Gippsland Critical Minerals (GCM), which was previously known as Kalbar Operations.
RMIT emeritus professor of planning and environment Michael Buxton, who spent more than a decade at the state planning department, said the government had failed to follow proper process by accepting the application for a second review. "The minister could have just refused to consider this application — and in my view, should have," he said, adding that the description of the proposal as new and modified was a "blatant deception".
Local organic vegetable grower Kane Busch, who has fought the mine for years, was blunt about the revised plan. "All they've really done is rolled a turd in glitter to make it look shiny," he said.
GCM rejected the claims and said its new bid included significant changes. The company said the site was a rich source of minerals deemed critical by the Australian government.
Miners have explored the Lindenow Valley for mineral sands, which contain rare-earth elements, since the 1970s. Global demand for such minerals doubled between 2015 and 2023. Dr Buxton argued Australia's strategic focus on critical minerals was behind the renewed push for the East Gippsland site.