Community advocacy group Mine Free Glenaladale (MFG) has renewed its opposition to the proposed Fingerboards mineral sands project in East Gippsland, raising concerns that a recently approved test pit will not adequately assess the long-term environmental and social impacts of the controversial mining proposal. Resources Victoria granted approval in December 2025 for a mining and rehabilitation test pit at the Fingerboards site, with a seven-month assessment period intended to address knowledge gaps identified during the previous Environment Effects Statement (EES) process. However, MFG argues the trial is too limited in scale and duration to provide meaningful evidence about the viability and safety of a full-scale mining operation.
MFG spokesperson Robyn Grant said the trial fails to address the 49 risks and unacceptable impacts identified by Victoria's Minister for Planning following the extensive EES process that ultimately rejected the original project proposal in 2021. She pointed to findings from the Independent Assessment Committee (IAC), which concluded that the proposed location was unsuitable for a major mining development and highlighted significant uncertainties surrounding rehabilitation outcomes. According to MFG, the test pit covers only 0.6 hectares and will be excavated to a depth of 20 metres, while the proposed mine would create pits up to 58 metres deep and disturb more than 150 hectares during operations.
The group argues such a small-scale trial cannot accurately replicate the environmental, dust, noise, groundwater, and rehabilitation challenges expected from a large industrial mineral sands mine. The Fingerboards project remains subject to federal assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act due to potential impacts on Ramsar-listed wetlands, threatened species, migratory wildlife, and naturally occurring radioactive materials such as thorium, monazite, and uranium contained within the ore body. Grant also criticised what she described as a lack of transparency surrounding the project.
Community requests for baseline environmental studies, monitoring requirements, and details of the approved Work Plan have allegedly not been fully released by either Resources Victoria or Gippsland Critical Minerals. Residents are particularly concerned that the trial is being conducted during autumn and winter conditions, which may not accurately reflect dust generation and contamination risks that could occur during the region's drier and windier spring and summer months. MFG also argues that rehabilitation performance, groundwater impacts, and erosion risks could take years to emerge, making a seven-month trial insufficient for comprehensive assessment.
The organisation has called on both Resources Victoria and Gippsland Critical Minerals to publicly release monitoring data and provide greater transparency throughout the testing process. The Fingerboards mineral sands proposal has remained one of Victoria's most contentious mining developments, with supporters citing economic and resource benefits while opponents continue to warn of potential environmental damage to East Gippsland's agricultural land, waterways, biodiversity, and nearby Gippsland Lakes ecosystem. As the test pit progresses, scrutiny from local residents, environmental groups, and regulators is expected to intensify ahead of any future approval decisions regarding the broader project.
