By Lauren Henry

Protestors fighting for the protection of agricultural land took to the streets in front of Horsham Town Hall yesterday, as a forum took place inside aiming to prepare the region for mining.

The community rally, with farm machinery and utes with signs supporting their case lined Pynsent Street, called for people to ‘say no to mining on productive agricultural land’ – asking if people want the Wimmera to be a food bowl or a mining epicentre.

Dunmunkle Land Protection Group president Andrew Weidemann led the rally, saying it was directed to ‘wake Horsham up’ to the impacts that mining projects could have on the region.

 “We should be actually value-adding to everything we do in agriculture, because that’s what’s built this region. It’ll continue to be here long after mining has come and gone,” he said.

Rupanyup farmer Peter Teasdale appealed to local business owners to think about their involvement in mining projects.

“It’s  fair enough they’re thinking ‘Yep, we might be able to expand our opportunities by doing this’, but it’s coming at the expense of another industry and someone else, and that’s what they need to know. It’s actually coming out of someone else’s pocket and putting someone else’s industry at risk to do that,” he said.

Mine Free Wimmera Farms chair Russell Heard said he was disappointed to see Regional Development Victoria – a government department – hosting an event in Horsham and excluding the general public or people in an industry such as farming.

“They’re putting out media releases saying they’re going to help farmers with restoration and set up committees. In the meantime, they’re streamlining environmental effects processes and disregarding relevant information that we have been bringing to the table for a couple of years now,” he said.

“So they’re saying one thing and doing the absolute opposite.

“There needs to be an environmental effects process code that doesn’t date from 1978 – it should date from 2026. 

“It needs to consider communities in a different way, and mining has been getting away with far too much for far too many years with very little policing and very little enforcement.”

The ‘Getting Wimmera Mallee Mining Ready’ forum, hosted by Industry Capability Network Victoria and Regional Development Victoria, focused on building local capability and readiness for critical minerals mining and associated infrastructure projects across northwest Victoria.

Attendees had to register to attend the forum – many farmers who had registered were told last week they could not attend, as was the media.

The entire June 3, 2026 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!