ABx only operates where welcome.

 Saturday 12 April 2025 

YOUR NOT WELOME ABx 

In their 2023 Notice of Intent for the DL130 Bauxite Project, ABx made a series of bold and reassuring statements. Among them, one line stands out:

“ABx endorses best practices on agricultural land, strives to leave the land and environment better than we found it. We only operate where welcome.”
— ABx Group, Notice of Intent, Page 8

These words, while polished and seemingly principled, now sit uneasily alongside the lived experience of the people of Reedy Marsh and the broader community of Meander Valley..

If ABx truly only operates where welcome, then the company must acknowledge that its presence here is not welcome. This is not a matter of isolated voices or fringe protest. It is a collective response—evidenced by the outpouring of community concern at the April Meander Valley Council Meeting, the many formal representations submitted, and the growing network of residents, farmers, and families united in opposition.

Because let’s be honest—this little “starter mine” at DL130 isn’t really about bauxite, is it? It’s the polite knock on the door before the whole front wall gets kicked in. Once the precedent is set, the message to the mining industry is loud and clear: Come on in, the Valley’s open! One approved pit and suddenly it's duck season for exploration licences, mining leases, and rare earth extraction. ABx may talk bauxite, but let’s not kid ourselves—the real prize is access to REEs (rare earth elements), and this quaint little quarry is just the doormat. After that? The sluice gates open, and what was once a patchwork of farms, forests, and families becomes a patchwork of toxic pits and piles of tailings blowing in the wind.

If ABx genuinely strives to leave the land and environment better than they found it, we ask: By what measure?

The land in question is prime agricultural country, home to clean water sources, vulnerable species, and generations of careful stewardship by those who live here. The proposed mine would permanently scar this landscape, introduce dust and industrial noise into rural areas, and place strain on roads, water systems, and local health. Is that better?

These are not abstract fears—they are tangible risks, backed by scientific research, firsthand accounts, and local knowledge. The very people ABx claims to respect have raised these concerns repeatedly, yet their voices appear to be sidelined in favour of procedural progress.

This dissonance between ABx’s written commitments and the on-ground reality speaks to a wider issue: the gap between corporate language and community truth.

For residents of Reedy Marsh, these public-facing statements are more than just disappointing—they are offensive. They misrepresent the situation and erode trust. Because to operate “where welcome” means more than obtaining permits—it means earning and retaining the social licence to operate. That licence, here, has not been granted.

Our message is clear:

• We are not opposed to industry—but we are opposed to hypocrisy.
• We are not resistant to progress—but we will not accept environmental and social regression under the banner of economic opportunity.
• We believe in best practice—and best practice begins with genuine, ongoing community consent.

We call upon ABx to honour its own words. Reedy Marsh and their Meander Valley residents have spoken. This community does not welcome ABx and their industrial mining on its farmland, near its homes, or in its heartland.

We urge the Meander Valley Council, as our regulatory authoritiy, and decision-makers to listen—not to carefully crafted corporate statements or hollow EPA conditions that will not be monitored, but to the authentic voices of the people who live here.

Because community isn’t just a stakeholder—it’s the soul of a place. And Reedy Marsh is standing to protect its own.