Meander Valley’s Community Strategic Plan for 2024-2034

Monday 17th March 2025

Upholding Our Future

The Meander Valley Council’s Community Strategic Plan for 2024-2034 is a fine piece of work—crafted with community input, extensive consultation, and a vision for the future.

It highlights five key priorities: fostering a diverse and cohesive community, protecting our natural environment, ensuring sustainable development, investing in infrastructure, and delivering responsible governance. But there’s a small catch.

As residents of this beautiful valley, we have taken this plan to heart. We’ve read it, digested it, and—dare we say—embraced its guiding principles. And now, we’re holding our Council to its own commitments.

When ABx’s proposed bauxite mine at Reedy Marsh surfaced, the local community stood up—not just because we dislike big holes in the ground, but because we believe in the values our Council claims to uphold. We are the ones embodying the plan’s very essence, ensuring that the aspirations of Meander Valley don’t end up buried under a layer of industrial dust. Let’s break it down:

1. Cultivating a Diverse, Cohesive, and Empowered Community Opposition to this mine has unified residents across backgrounds—farmers, business owners, conservationists, artists, and families—all rallying around one shared vision: protecting the future of the Valley. A campaign that brings together so many voices in an empowered, grassroots movement? That sounds a lot like the cohesive community this plan envisions.

2. Valuing and Protecting Our Natural Environment Nothing says “valuing the environment” quite like opposing open-cut mining in a biodiverse region. The Strategic Plan commits to environmental preservation, yet ABx’s proposal directly threatens water quality, soil integrity, and delicate ecosystems. If protecting native species and agricultural land isn’t a priority, then what exactly are we valuing?

3. Creating a Well-Designed, Sustainable Built Environment A “sustainable built environment” suggests careful, long-term planning—not short-term extractive industries that leave landscapes permanently altered. Are moonscapes now part of our region’s architectural aspirations? Because that’s what’s at stake if Council allows mining to move forward under the guise of ‘progress.’

4. Investing in Infrastructure That Strengthens Our Connections Roads full of heavy mining trucks don’t exactly scream “strengthening connections” unless we’re talking about connecting dust particles to our lungs. Meanwhile, the local tourism industry—built on the Valley’s stunning landscapes and clean, green reputation—faces serious damage if mining operations are approved. Council’s investment in infrastructure should serve long-term community needs, not short-term corporate gain.

5. Delivering Responsible Leadership and Governance This is where the rubber meets the road. The Local Government Act 1993 gives Council both a legal and moral duty to uphold the community’s aspirations—not just tick boxes for EPA assessments. The EPA’s role is environmental assessment, not community wellbeing. That responsibility lies squarely with our elected officials. Governance means taking a stand—not hiding behind regulatory processes that don’t reflect the full spectrum of local concerns.

The Council’s Crossroads: Will They Walk the Talk?

The Meander Valley community isn’t asking for the impossible—we’re simply asking Council to honour the very principles they set out in this plan. If the Strategic Plan is to be more than a glossy document on a shelf, then Council must step up. We need leadership that doesn’t just react to development proposals but proactively safeguards the future we’ve envisioned together.

The choice is clear:

Will Council align with its own strategic vision and support the people who live, work, and care for this valley?
Or will they let a mining company dictate what our future looks like?

We’ve made this plan as a community. We believe in it. Now, we expect our democratic elected counsellors to uphold this vision, on our behalf.

Reedy Marsh Resident's Voices

For those of us who have chosen to live in the peaceful, healthy environment of Reedy Marsh, the proposed bauxite mine threatens everything we value. Our family has invested in 6.5 hectares of land on the Meander River, dedicating 75% of it to wildlife conservation. We chose this area for its tranquillity, natural beauty, and supportive community. If Meander Valley Council approves the proposed bauxite mine, all of this will be at risk—our investment, our health, and our way of living, our life dreams.

Our Water

Those of us in Reedy Marsh rely entirely on rainwater for drinking and growing our vegetables, the risks are alarming. If this mine goes ahead, our water tanks will be filled with rainwater contaminated by bauxite dust. Our vegetables will be polluted, making them dangerous to eat—for both us and the wildlife that shares our gardens. The health implications are shocking and unacceptable. Bauxite mining doesn’t just harm wildlife—it endangers human health as well. Dust from bauxite mines is known to contain radioactive elements like radium and thorium, which are harmful to both the environment and people. Long-term exposure to these elements can cause cancer and other serious health issues. If high-aluminum concentration of heavy metals in sediments are deposited in the water, it will further dissolve and deposit into fish and benthic creatures.

Our Wildlife

The endangered Wedge-tailed Eagles, with fewer than 1,000 individuals left in the wild, are among the species that stand to lose the most. These magnificent birds are extremely sensitive to disturbances from machinery, habitat destruction, and pollution. The environmental consultants themselves acknowledged in their report that a more thorough survey of the area is needed to understand the full impact on these eagles. Yet, despite the lack of proper study, the project continues to move forward. Other endangered species, such as the Tasmanian Devil and the Spotted Quoll, roam freely across the countryside, and their habitat is also at risk. While we have protected a large portion of our property for these animals, their survival depends on the surrounding environment remaining intact. We cannot allow this bauxite mine to destroy the homes of these creatures. The wildlife in Reedy Marsh is part of what makes this place special—not only to us but to future generations. The irreversible damage to their habitat from machinery, land clearing, and toxic dust would be a tragedy for Tasmania’s biodiversity.

Our River

The Meander River, which borders our property, is another victim of this proposed mine. Toxic chemicals from bauxite mining will leach into the river, damaging the ecosystem and potentially wiping out fish populations. The harmful effects of bauxite dust on marine life are well-documented in places like Malaysia, where entire ecosystems have been devastated. If this mine goes ahead, we risk creating a "dead zone" in our own backyard, where fish, birds, and other wildlife can no longer survive.

Our Call for Action

This mine is not just a development—it’s a direct threat to everything we cherish in Reedy Marsh. Our peaceful lifestyle, our wildlife, our health, and our community are all at stake. We moved here to escape exactly these kinds of industrial risks, and it is inconceivable that Meander Valley Council would approve such a project given the dangers it poses. We strongly urge the Council to reject this proposal and, at the very least, to commission an independent and thorough wildlife survey before any decisions are made. Additionally, if the mine is approved, we recommend extending Deloraine’s town water supply to Reedy Marsh to mitigate the potential health risks posed by contaminated rainwater. This is our home. It’s worth protecting

MINE WATCH - MEANDER VALLEY

Meander Valley’s Community Strategic Plan for 2024-2034

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