Luke Katakouzinos 
Gippsland Critical Minerals’ redesigned Fingerboards Project has been awarded Major Project Status (MPS) by the Australian Government recognising its global supply impacts, economic benefits and its alignment with national interest. Senator The Hon Tim Ayres, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science has awarded Major Project Status to the Fingerboards Project for a period of 3 … Read more
Bairnsdale-based Human Resources Manager Rebecca Morrall has been selected as the recipient of the Gippsland Critical Minerals (GCM) Community Scholarship for the 2026 Gippsland Community Leadership Program (GCLP). The GCM scholarship supports the place of an East Gippslander in GCLP, one of Australia’s longest running regional leadership programs, building leadership capability, confidence and strong local … Read more
Gippsland Critical Minerals’ (GCM) redesigned Fingerboards Project has achieved another major milestone, with the Victorian Minister for Planning announcing that the project will undertake an Environment Effects Statement (EES). The Ministers decision recognises that the rescoped project is materially different from the proposal considered in 2021 and warrants new assessment. “This is a fantastic outcome that reflects the significance of the changes we have made to the … Read more
Gippsland Critical Minerals (GCM) held its first community webinar for 2026 on Thursday 5 February. The session covered where the project is up to, what work is happening on the ground with local businesses involved in the demonstration pit, progress on technical studies, the establishment of community working groups, and a Q&A The webinar included … Read more
The Australian Government has recognised the Fingerboards Critical Minerals Project in East Gippsland through its newly launched Australian Critical Minerals Prospectus, which notes the project “stands out” for its high heavy rare earths content. Released by the Minister for Resources Madeleine King and the Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell, the Prospectus promotes just … Read more
Gippsland Critical Minerals (GCM) is supporting a new Community Scholarship, reinforcing its commitment to investing in local leadership across East Gippsland. Delivered through the Committee for Gippsland’s Gippsland Community Leadership Program, the scholarship funds one full place in the ten-month 2026 program, with all participant fees covered by GCM. The scholarship is designed to remove … Read more
GCM held it’s fifth Community Reference Group (CRG) meeting on 11 December, 2025. The CRG notes and slides have now been reviewed by CRG members, and are available below. The next CRG meeting will be held on Thursday 19 February.
Following feedback and consultation with the Department of Planning, the referral package for the rescoped Fingerboards Project has now been progressed to the Minister for Planning for assessment on whether an Environment Effects Statement (EES) is required under the Environment Effects Act 1978. The Ministerial Guidelines under the Act set out a target timeframe of 20 business days for the Minister’s decision on whether … Read more
More than 83 percent of East Gippslanders say that Australia should be more self-reliant in producing its own resources and more than 64 percent said it is important for critical minerals projects to proceed in regional areas, when appropriate safeguards are in place. The results are from an independent survey of more than 700 East … Read more
GCM in association with AECOM, the lead environmental consultant for the rescoped Fingerboards Project, has appointed consultants for two new studies on soils and economics. SLR has been appointed to lead the soils assessment and Korda Mentha will lead the economic study, which are being undertaken as part of GCM’s impact assessment work. Soils Conducted by SLR, the soils assessment will establish a detailed baseline and evaluate potential impacts on, and from, … Read more
