General News
7 November, 2026
Dust meetings to ease angst
FOLLOWING recent commitments to publicly disclose site air quality data, Silica Resources Australia (SRA) will hold two public community meetings across the Cassowary Coast in late November.
The information sessions, scheduled for Mourilyan and Kurrimine Beach, will give residents a direct forum to evaluate operational plans, examine expert interpretations of environmental monitoring and pose questions about the company’s expanding footprint in the region.
The first meeting will take place on Wednesday 25 November at 6pm in Mourilyan (Mourilyan Kindergarten, Castor St), followed by a second session on Thursday 26 November at 6pm at Kurrimine Beach (Kurrimine Beach Progress Hall).
Cassowary Coast local Pete Faulkner has been engaged as an independent chairman to facilitate both evenings.
The forums follow SRA’s decision to publish its dust monitoring data and site locations – a move welcomed by community advocates who have previously raised concerns regarding airborne particulate impacts from sand extraction and transport operations.
The Mourilyan silica sands project represents a major critical minerals venture for the region.
SRA is operating from an existing mining lease at Stephenson Road in Kurrimine Beach – a site historically used for sand extraction for over four decades – while preparing for wider expansion.
Backed by a $30 million investment from the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC), the company plans to scale up production to over 360,000 tonnes annually over the next 12 months, targeting more than 750,000 tonnes per year within five years across its project area containing over 50 million tonnes of high-purity silica resource. Extracted silica sand and high-purity flour are planned for transport roughly 27 kilometres to the Port of Mourilyan for export to key Asia-Pacific markets, serving growing demand in solar panel manufacturing, semiconductors, advanced electronics and glass manufacturing.
SRA also plans to construct an on-site silica flour mill and develop common user infrastructure at the port as stage two expansions progress toward a target 2028 operational date, subject to approvals.
Two key expert presenters at the upcoming forums will address air quality and local ecological impacts. They are Dr Keith Adam, a Brisbane-based senior specialist in occupational and environmental medicine and Dr Graham Lauridsen, an independent scientific cassowary specialist retained by SRA, who will speak on fauna impacts. SRA representatives will also be present to discuss current operations and future development plans.
Read More: Cassowary Coast