NEW Bowen Basin mine approved - not 100% FIFO

NEW Bowen Basin mine approved with FIFO conditions

BMA’s Red Hill mine a win for Moranbah community

BMA’s Red Hill mine will give local workers more jobs

A proposed new mine in the Bowen Basin mine has received the tick of approval from the miners’ union and the Queensland Government. The BMA mine had been targeted as a FIFO only mine, but the union stepped in and god a good result.

The new mine is to be partly staffed by fly-in, fly-out workers, the rest of the jobs will be given to locals living close to the mine.

“the Red Hill mining project would not be allowed to be a 100% FIFO operation, says government”

The Coordinator-General approved BHP Mitsubishi Alliance’s Red Hill Mining project north of Moranbah, but with strict requirements for BMA not to make the mine 100% FIFO.

In a time where local communities that are close to mining operations in Queensland, this is a step in the right direction for the QLD coal mining sector.

The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) described the government’s stipulation BHP Mitsubishi Alliance’s Red Hill mining project would not be allowed to be a 100% FIFO operation as a huge win for the community of Moranbah.

CFMEU district president Stephen Smyth said there were many skilled mine workers across central Queensland who had been previously been refused a job at BMA’s existing 100% FIFO mines.

“This has left our vibrant regional communities hurting and local businesses struggling,” he said.

New BMA mine could deliver a real boost to central Queensland communities

“With access for locals to jobs, the Red Hill project has the potential to deliver a real boost to central Queensland communities at a time when it is needed the most.

“Ensuring workers have a real choice about where they live and how they commute is important for FIFO workers too – it means they are free to move closer to work with their families if they so choose.”

The new Red Hill mime means the construction of a new underground longwall coal mine and upgrades and expansion of the current Broadmeadow and Goonyella Riverside coal mines; which are located about 135km south-west of Mackay. It’s though the Goonyella mine alone would increase coal output from about 18 million to up to 32.5 million tonnes a year when the extension is completed.

A BMA spokesman said the new Red Hill mining project had the potential to create about 2000 construction jobs. When the mine is running at peak production, there is expected to be around 1500 workers on site.

“a new approach to dealing with the workforce issue”

Mines Minister Anthony Lynham said the approval condition stipulating against 100% FIFO represented a new approach to dealing with the workforce issue.

As usual, the proposal to build the new mine and extend the existing ones will face the rigorous environment approval processes, public consultation, and there could be hearing in the Land Court.

A big win for regional Queensland mining communities

BMA has a strong history of mining in the Bowen Basin in Queensland and has invested billions into new mines such as Caval Ridge and Daunia.

The decision to make employment at this proposed new mine less reliant on a FIFO workforce is a big win for regional Queensland mining communities. More local jobs means more growth in the small townships that sit in the heart of the Bowen Basin.

“a new wave of prosperity in the region”

Locals businesses also rely on local workers who are employed at these mines to help grow their businesses and create a new wave of prosperity in the region.

With additional mines going through the approval process and the planning stages, take Adani’s proposed Carmichael mine for instance, there will a new era of mining confidence in Queensland in the coming years. The larger proposed mines will bring employment to the region’s mine workers and pave the way for long and rewarding careers in the coal industry in Queensland.