Whitehaven Coal’s planned Winchester South coal mine near Moranbah will deliver hundreds of coal mining jobs and boost the Central Queensland economy for decades, CFMEU Mining & Energy said today.
CFMEU Mining & Energy Queensland President Stephen Smyth welcomed the Queensland Government’s announcement that the $1 billion project would be declared a co-ordinated project, streamlining approvals.
If approved, the project is estimated to commence construction in 2021, with the first coal extraction proposed for 2023.
“This announcement means the Winchester South Coal Operations proposal has passed the major hurdles. It is now in the hands of the Co-ordinator General to get the mine up and running,” Mr Smyth said.
“It is great news for Central Queensland mining towns. In addition to direct jobs building and operating the mine, local businesses will also benefit from the economic activity the new mine generates.
“This is a welcome indication of the Queensland Government’s commitment to local mining jobs and industry.”
The Winchester South proposal is for an open-cut coal mine, producing predominantly metallurgical coal for steel-making over a period of 30 years.
At full capacity, the mine is targeting run-of-mine production of approximately 15Mtpa of coal.
The new mine is expected to create about 500 jobs throughout the two-year construction period and up to 450 full-time jobs during operation.
Member for Mackay and Assistant Minister for State Development Julieanne Gilbert said the proponent would target local employment in regional towns.
“This is good news for places like Moranbah, Dysart and Coppabella, and provides even more opportunities for regional Queensland,” Ms Gilbert said.
Mr Smyth said the CFMEU looked forward to working with Whitehaven Coal to make sure the jobs generated by the mine were permanent, secure and well-paid.
The Queensland Resources Council has thrown down the gauntlet to the Palaszczuk Government, seeking a firm backing for the mining sector. The State Government must immediately reaffirm its support for the resource industry and resource jobs, with a commitment for long-term royalty stability and a fair go for all projects, QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said. Mr Macfarlane said the messa...
An Adani Mining boss has accused the Queensand Premier and Deputy Premier of failing to listen to the community concerns highlighted by the weekend election result. Chief executive Lucas Dow said the company had been overwhelmed by the wave of support from Queenslanders over the past months. “If the Queensland Labor Premier and Deputy Premier take nothing else from this weekend, let’s hope...
More than 13,000 tonnes of ore have been mined from the Agate Creek gold project, owner Laneway Resources reports. The company brought the project into production quickly, achieving the first gold pour within 10 weeks of the mining lease being granted. First ore was fed into the crushing circuit of Maroon’s Blackjack gold processing plant at Charters Towers on April 17 and the first gold wa...
The Federal election result is a win for regional jobs, particularly in the big resources states of Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia, says the Minerals Council of Australia. Chief executive officer Tania Constable said the Coalition government’s strategic economic reform agenda to keep taxes low, in conjunction with responsible 2019-20 Budget measures, provided opportunities f...
Anglo American is teaming up with a key Indigenous group as it launches into exploration programs at new sites in North-West Queensland. The company was recently granted permits to explore about 7300sq km in an area south of Mount Isa and west of Boulia. Anglo American said it had formed a partnership of up to five years with the Pitta Pitta Aboriginal Corporation, on behalf of the Pitta P...
Regional Queensland has sent politicians a very strong message that opening up the Galilee Basin is vitally important, says Townsville Enterprise chief executive officer Patricia O’Callaghan. She was commenting after the Coalition – and a clear commitment on coal’s future – came out on top in the seats of Herbert, Dawson, Capricornia and Flynn “This has been...
Queensland has shone at this year’s Planning Institute Australia National Awards for Planning Excellence, with three key category wins. They included Cairns-based Dr Sharon Harwood, who was named Planner of the Year for her outstanding leadership and contribution to advancing planning for indigenous people and regional communities in Far North Queensland. Dr Sharon Harwood. Toow...
The achievements of the Mackay region’s mining services sector came under the spotlight last night when more than 300 people attended the 2019 Resource Industry Network Awards. The 2019 winners were: Safety Foremost Award – QCCS Champion Culture Award – Mastermyne Connecting in the Community Award – Bank of Queensland Mackay City Chasing Foreign Markets ...
Now
