Arabic version: أصوات شابة تطالب بدور في قرارات ساحل الحجر الجيري
According to ABC News, young people on South Australia’s Limestone Coast are calling for greater involvement in decisions on fracking and rare earth mining, as the agricultural region faces potential changes to its economic future. Agriculture has long dominated the local economy, but gas and mining proposals are prompting concerns about jobs, communities, land and groundwater.
Gomoroi woman and climate and youth advocate Jazmin Bingham, 19, said young people were generally not included when decisions were made. A member of Indigenous youth-led climate advocacy group Seed, she said the region’s land was sacred and rich, supporting strong agriculture and primary industries. She warned that once fracking and rare earth mining began, land could not be restored to what it was.
Fracking, or hydraulic fracture stimulation, has been controversial because of potential effects on the Limestone Coast’s groundwater system. Conventional gas extraction has taken place in the South East for more than a century. In May, the South Australian government announced legislation to repeal a 10-year regional fracking moratorium introduced in 2018. The bill requires crossbench support, while Premier Peter Malinauskas has said the moratorium will lapse in 2028. Millicent teenager Zoe Moore, 16, who chairs the Wattle Range Council Youth Advisory Council, wrote to the premier opposing the end of the ban.
Mining and Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis said cheap gas was needed for energy and economic growth. Separately, Naracoorte farmer Joe Schultz’s property falls within the exploration area for a proposed rare earth mine in Wrattonbully. Australian Rare Earths is expected to finalise an application in coming months. Mr Schultz, a member of the Limestone Coast Sustainable Futures Group, said uncertainty had made him reconsider investing in his farming future. AR3 director Travis Beinke said mining and farming could coexist, with the proposed Koppamurra project expected to operate initially for 12 years and create about 100 jobs.
