Community Engagement
Delivering real outcomes for East Gippsland
We’re developing the Fingerboards Project to create local jobs, strengthen regional industries and demonstrate how mining and rehabilitation can work hand in hand. The project is being shaped by feedback from the people who know this region best.
Overview
Gippsland Critical Minerals is developing the Fingerboards Project with the people of East Gippsland. We’re listening, sharing information and shaping the project through open, respectful engagement.
Community feedback has already influenced key parts of the design, including reducing the mining footprint, creating buffer zones and improving the way local landscapes are protected and restored.
We’re continuing that dialogue through drop-in sessions, webinars, face-to-face meetings and the recently expanded Community Reference Group. We also keep the community informed through regular newsletters, project updates on our website and our local office in Bairnsdale, where people can speak directly with the team.
We’ve also welcomed local community advocate Mick Harrington to our team, whose connection to East Gippsland is helping strengthen relationships and provide deeper insights into community priorities.
These conversations and interactions are built into our planning for jobs, training, cultural heritage and land use, so the project contributes to the region’s long-term prosperity and environment.
Community Initiatives
Listening, investing, and acting
Progressive Rehabilitation
Community Benefits
Gippsland Critical Minerals is focused on delivering practical, lasting benefits for East Gippsland. Our benefit-sharing approach is being developed with local input to ensure the Fingerboards Project supports what matters most to the region: secure jobs, strong local business participation, community opportunity and confidence in the local economy.
Jobs and Skills
- Create more than 300 direct jobs and hundreds more indirect roles across local businesses and services.
- Support local training and apprenticeship opportunities, helping people gain long-term skills in mining, logistics, environmental management and rehabilitation.
- Partner with local education and training providers to build regional capability and pathways into skilled careers.
Local Procurement and Economic Growth
- Prioritise local suppliers, trades and contractors, ensuring regional businesses benefit directly from project investment.
- Deliver around $180 million in royalties and contribute to a broader economic uplift through local spending and business activity.
- Maintain a local office in Bairnsdale to support local employment and ongoing business engagement.
Infrastructure and Water Security
- Strengthen the region’s freight and transport network, providing a reliable freight base load that supports other industries.
- Invest in infrastructure that secures water supply for future generations, supporting the use of recycled water and partnerships that improve water efficiency and regional resilience.
Infrastructure and Water Security
- Strengthen the region’s freight and transport network, providing a reliable freight base load that supports other industries.
- Invest in infrastructure that secures water supply for future generations, supporting the use of recycled water and partnerships that improve water efficiency and regional resilience.
Jobs and Skills
- Create more than 300 direct jobs and hundreds more indirect roles across local businesses and services.
- Support local training and apprenticeship opportunities, helping people gain long-term skills in mining, logistics, environmental management and rehabilitation.
- Partner with local education and training providers to build regional capability and pathways into skilled careers.
Local Procurement and Economic Growth
- Prioritise local suppliers, trades and contractors, ensuring regional businesses benefit directly from project investment.
- Deliver around $180 million in royalties and contribute to a broader economic uplift through local spending and business activity.
- Maintain a local office in Bairnsdale to support local employment and ongoing business engagement.
Infrastructure and Water Security
- Strengthen the region’s freight and transport network, providing a reliable freight base load that supports other industries.
- Invest in infrastructure that secures water supply for future generations, supporting the use of recycled water and partnerships that improve water efficiency and regional resilience.
Agriculture and Co-existence
- Enable co-existence with farming, ensuring productive agricultural use continues alongside mining and that rehabilitated land returns quickly to grazing and pasture.
- Establish the Young Farmers Program, providing reduced-rate land leases for emerging farmers and supporting the next generation of agricultural leaders in East Gippsland.
Progressive Rehabilitation
First Nations Partnership & Benefits
Gippsland Critical Minerals acknowledges the Gunaikurnai People as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which the Fingerboards Project is located, and pays respect to Elders past and present.
GCM is committed to recognising and protecting First Nations cultural heritage through meaningful consultation with the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC). We welcome the inclusion of cultural values, knowledge and perspectives in project planning and decision-making, ensuring these continue to inform how the project is designed and delivered.
This includes consideration of both tangible and intangible values, such as cultural landscapes, waterways and travel routes, consistent with the principles of the Gunaikurnai Whole of Country Plan. GCM will continue to work with GLaWAC to ensure First Nations cultural heritage is recognised, protected and respected, while also supporting opportunities for employment, training and business participation for Gunaikurnai People.
Protecting cultural heritage
GCM acknowledges and respects the deep connection the Gunaikurnai People maintain with the lands and waters of the Fingerboards Project area. Learning from past shortcomings, our redesigned approach centers on genuine dialogue and partnership with GLaWAC.
We recognise that effective cultural heritage protection must extend beyond isolated sites to encompass the broader cultural landscape, including the interconnections between land, water, and traditional travel routes. Our comprehensive cultural heritage assessments now incorporate oral histories and proper recognition of both tangible and intangible heritage values, with particular attention to significant waterways like the Chain of Ponds and Perry River.
Our Cultural Heritage Management Plan is being developed through meaningful consultation with Gunaikurnai representatives, following traditional protocols and respecting GLaWAC’s Whole of Country Plan principles. This collaborative approach ensures cultural heritage considerations are embedded in project design from the outset, with Traditional Owner guidance informing every aspect from buffer zones to rehabilitation strategies.
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COMMUNITY DIVIDEND
Jobs and investment for our region
Labor force
~300+
Direct & indirect employment from local communities
Localised funding
A$300m
Investment in the development of the mine, prioritising local suppliers
Advice from local experts
Gippsland Critical Minerals has established a Community Reference Group (CRG) to help ensure local knowledge and perspectives inform the way the Fingerboards Project is planned and delivered.
Applications Closed
GCM is no longer seeking expressions of interest for two additional members for its Community Reference Group.
We’ll notify you if there are openings and we begin the process of seeking applications again.
Apply Now
The CRG acts as a key advisory body, creating a structured way for the community to share insights, raise issues and provide feedback directly to the project team. This helps shape decisions on topics such as environmental management, rehabilitation, traffic and local benefit.
The group was recently expanded to 16 members to include a broader mix of local voices, strengthening representation from across the community and ensuring a wider range of perspectives are reflected in discussions and project design.
Through regular meetings and open discussion, the CRG provides practical, place-based advice that helps GCM design a project that reflects local priorities and supports positive outcomes for East Gippsland.
Meetings
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| Date | Title | Key Outcomes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17/10/2025 | Fourth Meeting – Q4 | GCM submitted Mining & Rehabilitation Demonstration Pit Work Plan to Resources Victoria and draft self-referral ahead of anticipated EES process. Comprehensive environmental and technical studies now underway including spring ecology surveys, noise monitoring at six locations, surface/groundwater monitoring, air quality equipment redeployed, and radiation background stations established. Appian representatives presented ownership structure and ESG credentials, committing to provide sustainability report and comparable project case studies. Detailed MRDP presentation covered site selection, earthworks sequencing, wet-backfill methodology, subsoil trials, amelioration program, and rehabilitation goals with full bonding. Discussion on dust monitoring, flocculant use, groundwater impacts, and agricultural compatibility post-rehabilitation. Members debated community forum timing - agreement that clear objectives and strong moderation essential if held before MRDP results available. Next meeting scheduled for December 2025 with sub-groups planned and MRDP site visit to be organised for CRG members. | |
| 08/08/2025 | Third Meeting – Q3 | GCM presented mine design progress with focus on rehabilitation surface development, targeting less than 15% exposed area at any time. First draft design completed to commence impact assessment and iterative refinement. Comprehensive environmental and technical studies program outlined covering ecology, groundwater, cultural heritage, visual impacts, air quality, noise, radiation, agriculture and rehabilitation. Baseline monitoring program commenced across weather, air quality, surface and groundwater, noise and radiation parameters. CRG members recommended improving receptor mapping detail, increasing engagement with near neighbors, focusing community grants on local and legacy outcomes, and exploring shared water infrastructure opportunities. Community engagement expanded with 5km resident mailout, virtual showroom launch, and four-pillar benefit sharing framework presented covering cultural heritage protection, local employment and procurement, infrastructure investment, and community vibrancy initiatives. | |
| 13/06/2025 | Second Meeting – Q2 | GCM presented revised mine plans with 27% area reduction and appointed three environmental experts to CRG. Key concerns raised included dust, noise, and outreach to nearby residents. Members reviewed benefit sharing framework, recommending independent governance body and clearer "local" definitions - warning current grants model risks "social license buying" perception. Demonstration pit confirmed for January 2026 with community consultation. Next meeting August 2025 with sub-groups planned for Water, Legacy Planning, Communications and Environmental/Technical focus areas. | |
| 18/03/2025 | Initial Meeting – Q1 | GCM committed to publishing presentation materials and providing written responses to technical queries raised. Next CRG meeting tentatively scheduled for May with focus on detailed mining methodology and scheduled presentation by AECOM. Demonstration pit development confirmed for 2026 with community consultation. CRG composition to be reviewed to include more environmental groups. Community roadshow scheduled for mid-June across Bairnsdale, Lindenow, Sale and Stratford locations. |
Members
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| Name | ||
|---|---|---|
|
JM
John Mitchell
Chairperson
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Chair of the Gippsland Regional Executive Forum | Director, Snoretox Ltd | Director, Sundermann Water Power Ltd | Managing Director, John Mitchell Consulting Pty Ltd |
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AC
Alfred Chown
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Director Energy Technologies Ltd | Director Bambach Wire and Cables Pty Ltd |
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AS
Andrew Sheridan
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District Wool Manager and Farmer, Garoogong, Bengworden |
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DR
David Radford
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Bairnsdale Regional Health Service Board Member |
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GW
Cr Geoff Wells
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Bairnsdale Regional Health Service Board Member |
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JS
Jillian Stewart
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Fernbank Resident, Former Forestry Worker |
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JA
John Alexander
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Lindenow Vegetable Grower |
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JN
Joshua Nelson
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Lindenow Vegetable Grower |
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LR
Lionel Rose
|
East Gippsland Shire Councillor |
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PR
Peter Robinson
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GLaWAC Cultural Heritage Officer |
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SP
Simon Padfield
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Glenaladale Rural Fire Brigade Captain |
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TC
Tess Coverdale
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Glenaladale Rural Fire Brigade Captain |
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TH
Trevor
Hancock
|
Local Business Owner, Lindenow South |
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VR
Vesna Rendulic
|
East Gippsland Field Naturalists Group Representative |
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Learn more about our planning and approvals application process
488.7 KB
Referral Form
147.9 KB
Fingerboards EES Amended Procedures and Requirements
1.7 MB
Attachment 1 – Aquatic Habitat Assessment Report
3.8 MB
Attachment 2 – Baseline Report
4.4 MB