The Limestone Coast Sustainable Futures Association has criticised the release of Australian Rare Earths’ Pre-Feasibility Study for the proposed Koppamurra project, describing the document as an investor prospectus, not a safeguard for the region.
“This report is clearly designed to excite markets and attract capital, not to answer the fundamental questions the Limestone Coast community is asking,” committee chair Todd Woodard said.
“The pre-feasibility is heavy on financial projections and global supply-chain rhetoric, but light on certainty when it comes to groundwater, karst systems, agricultural land protection and long-term environmental risk. In fact, many in our committee have walked away querying where the local economic and social benefits will be generated?”
The Association stressed that the report provides little confidence that the Limestone Coast’s highly sensitive groundwater systems would be protected throughout exploration, with significant work required before any mining application could proceed.
Mr Woodard said there was “no precedent for this type of mining on top of an aquifer in the Limestone Coast”.
“This region sits on one of Australia’s most complex and vulnerable karst landscapes. Once groundwater is damaged, it cannot simply be rehabilitated. No amount of investor confidence can reverse that,” Mr Woodard said.
“This is why from day one of our campaign we have been demanding this government commit to an independent region-wide vulnerability assessment to assess the full impact any such exploration would have on this sensitive hydrological system.”
While the company promotes shallow mining and progressive rehabilitation, the report itself confirms that key environmental assessments are still underway and that critical risks, including sinkholes, stygofauna and cumulative land disturbance, remain unresolved.
“The reality is the company is asking the community to trust assumptions, while asking investors to dig deep with certainty and start back rolling exploration. We want AR3 to clearly know that we will not be accepting assumptions. We require independently tested scientific certainty before we will support any development that will impact the viability of our world recognised agricultural systems in the Limestone Coast.”
The Association also raised alarm at the scale of the proposal, noting that while a 12-year mine life is presented, the infrastructure is designed for much longer operation, with vast additional exploration targets flagged for future expansion.
Furthermore, it questioned the estimated $8million in annually state royalties, labelling it as a “drop in the ocean” compared to the region’s multi-billion dollar agricultural sector earning capability.
“This is exactly why a comprehensive, independent vulnerability assessment must be the next step, before any further approvals, not after the damage is done, to test the true environmental, social and economic impact of such an investment,” Mr Woodard said.
“The Limestone Coast is not an experiment zone. It is a living system that underpins farming, forestry, tourism, and regional identity. That demands more than a glossy pre-feasibility study aimed at rounding up investors for a quick return at the cost of our farming systems.
“Decisions of this magnitude must be made with eyes wide open and not be driven by market momentum.”