The Queensland Government has just declared another eight large resource projects under the Strong and Sustainable Resource Communities Act 2017.
The Strong and Sustainable Resource Communities Act 2017 came into effect last year as a measure to ensure that residents of communities near large resource projects benefit from the construction and operation of those projects.
The Act prohibits the use of 100 per cent fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) workforce arrangements on operational large resource projects that have a nearby regional community.
A large resource project, according to the Act, is one with 100 or more operational workers, while a nearby regional community is one that is within a 125-kilometre radius of a large resource project and has a population of more than 200 residents.
The state’s independent Coordinator-General made the declarations for:
- Baralaba North Mine
- Barbara Project
- Bauxite Hills Mine
- Century Zinc Mine
- Cook Colliery
- Mount Colin Mine
- Mungana Mine
- Olive Downs Mine
Minister for State Development, Cameron Dick, said the decision by the Coordinator-General is great news for every local worker living near these projects.
“Fifty-nine regional communities will benefit from these declarations, including protections under the anti-discrimination provisions in the Act relating to the future recruitment of workers for the eight new projects.”
“This is the third update to the Coordinator-General’s published list of large resource projects, with the Act now applying to 69 large resource projects and 295 different nearby regional communities,” the Minister said.
He also applauded the Coordinator-General’s decision to declare the Mount Colin Mine and Barbara Project in Queensland’s north-west as large resource projects under the Act.
“Both these projects are likely to have less than 100 workers, so their inclusion will ensure residents of Mount Isa and Cloncurry can benefit from the mines’ operations,” he commented.
“I want to thank the Office of the Coordinator-General for consulting with regional councils, project owners and relevant unions to assist with these declarations.”
The nearby regional communities to be included for each project are below:
- Baralaba North Mine: Banana, Baralaba, Bauhinia, Biloela, Blackwater, Bluff, Bouldercombe, Duaringa, Glendale, Gracemere, Mount Morgan, Moura, Rockhampton, Thangool, Theodore, Woorabinda
- Barbara Project: Cloncurry, Mount Isa
- Bauxite Hills Mine: Bamaga, Injinoo, Mapoon, Napranum, New Mapoon, Seisia, Umagico, Weipa
- Century Zinc Mine: Doomadgee
- Cook Colliery: Baralaba, Blackwater, Bluff, Capella, Duaringa, Emerald, Middlemount, Rolleston, Springsure, Tieri, Woorabinda, Yamala
- Mount Colin Mine: Cloncurry, Mount Isa
- Mungana Mine (including King Vol Mine): Atherton, Chillagoe, Dimbulah, Herberton, Mareeba, Mareeba South, Mount Garnet, Tinaroo, Tolga, Tolga West, Walkamin
- Olive Downs: Armstrong Beach, Carmila, Coppabella, Capella, Clermont, Dysart, Eton, Finch Hatton, Glenden, Middlemount, Mirani, Moranbah, Nebo, Sarina, St Lawrence, Tieri