Victorian Greens candidate for Gippsland East, Ash Munro, has formally declared her opposition to the Fingerboards Mineral Sands project, pledging her alignment with the Mine Free Glenaladale advocacy group.
The proposed development, located 20 kilometres northwest of Bairnsdale, is being pursued by Gippsland Critical Minerals (GCM). Ms Munro argues the venture poses an unacceptable threat to the region’s ecological and economic foundation.
“The Fingerboards project asks the community to accept real risks to our environment and one of Victoria’s important horticultural regions in exchange for promised economic benefits,” Ms Munro said. “We are being asked to put at risk productive farmland, native habitat, clean air and downstream waterways that support local communities and local jobs, while the primary beneficiaries are the mining companies.”
The candidate’s stance reinforces a petition spearheaded by Mine Free Glenaladale (MFG) and tabled in state parliament by Greens MP Ellen Sandell in December 2025. The petition calls for a permanent mining exemption for the area, citing findings from the 2021 Fingerboards Mineral Sands Inquiry and Advisory Committee report, which deemed mining at the site environmentally unsustainable.
Despite those past findings, the state government confirmed a new Environment Effects Statement (EES) assessment for the project on February 18, and exploratory test-pit operations have been underway since April. Ms Munro heavily criticised the decision to reopen the assessment process, praising the resilience of local residents who have consistently fought the project.
“The Minister’s February 18 decision to grant the Fingerboards Critical Minerals Project a new Environment Effects Statement assessment raises serious questions about whether those community voices are truly being heard,” Ms Munro said.
However, GCM chief executive officer Michelle Wood strongly defended the project, stating that opposing the Fingerboards development does not make the global demand for critical minerals and rare earths disappear.
“It simply means they are mined somewhere else, overwhelmingly in China, under unethical and environmentally damaging mining practices,” Ms Wood said. “That is the outcome Mine Free Glenaladale and The Greens are campaigning for: fewer jobs for East Gippsland, and more reliance on China for the minerals Australia needs.”
Ms Wood expressed disappointment at the formal alignment between MFG and the Greens, labelling it a campaign against local opportunities. She noted that Ms Munro has never made contact with GCM nor visited the Mining and Rehabilitation Demonstration Pit.
“Our invitation stands. We would welcome Ms Munro and MFG to visit the site, meet the local contractors and small business owners working there today, and see for themselves the environmental protections built into the redesigned project,” Ms Wood said.
According to GCM, the project represents 400 jobs during construction and 300 ongoing roles. Ms Wood also questioned the consistency of the opposition’s renewable energy policies, noting wind turbines, solar panels, and electric vehicles all rely on rare earths.
“If The Greens will not back the projects delivering the critical minerals needed for the transition, it is hard to take their push for renewable energy seriously,” she said.
