East Gippsland Shire Council was not involved in the Victorian Government decision to renew retention and exploration licences regarding the Fingerboards Mine project, announced in October 2024.
Chief Executive Officer Fiona Weigall said Council had been reassured by the Government that this Ministerial decision to renew two retention licences and one exploration licence for Gippsland Critical Minerals for a set period is to provide opportunity for the proponents to address feedback from the initial EES and rescope the project.
"These licence renewals do not permit mining, they only allow Gippsland Critical Minerals to continue to explore and carry out work to reshape their project. We understand that this approval comes with tight parameters including strict community engagement conditions," Ms Weigall said.
"Council invested heavily in a response to the Environment Effects Statement at the start of the last Council term, took on the broad community concerns, and ensured our communities were heard in that process. This significant advocacy has contributed to the tighter controls in place on this retention and exploration license, and the need for any rescoping of the project to consider the EES feedback.
"Council confirms that it had no role in this recently announced decision. We are currently in an election period and our priority over the coming weeks will be to ensure the incoming Council is briefed on what this Ministerial decision means.
"We understand the community will have mixed views about this Ministerial decision. Any questions should be raised through your State MP and the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (Resources Victoria)."
