Mod 6 - Expansion of Coal Mine

I would like to support the proposal for the Mt Thorley Warkworth extension. As part of the 1300 workforce employed by Mt Thorley i see this extension as a positive step for job security for both my self and my collegues. I also see it as a show of economic growth for the community and local businesses

I support the submision.
Both myself and my husband have been empolyed with RTCA for 2 years now in which we have built a house and hve settled into the area, if the extension was not too go ahead this would require us to find mining jobs elsewhere, meaning leaving the area and our families, supporting and putting our $$ into another area.

Above all else Australia is in a unique position around coal/energy and export income generation. The whole of Australias current economy depends on operations like MTW that has been here in operation since 1981.

For the NSW and Hunter economy the "trickle down" effect to these economies is easily seen in economic performance...from engineering workshops down to the local cafe or the little girl whos dad can"t afford maths coaching.

Recently in Victoria,Melborne, Vic Roads overnight obtained 190 homes for an expressway seen as vital for traffic management.As there was objection, one elderlery man was interviewed...he had lived there all his life. He though upset at leaving after 70 years was understanding at the growth of melbourne.they were given renumeration over and above their property values and to my knowledge this development is going ahead. This is a road and has no likelyhood of ever generating the future income projected on the deposits in our proposed extention plan.

The existing mine site has already had an impact on the area....economic,enironmental and social. The coal required in the future will be sort from somewhere,so to my minds eye it makes sense to use the infrastructure and area that has already been impacted since the mine had started. The rejection of extention will put pressure on other sites or manifest new mine openning to meet this demand. It may be met by oversaes companies that have little or no regard for thier environmental practises.

Lastly RTCA who run MTW have always shown a commitment to safety and our envronmental laws on site.

The local Bulga community should feel happy that they don't have a Nuclear Power station like Fukushima next to them. Current cleanup costs estimated to be in the vicinity of 100billion Aus $ , it may even involve the evacuation of 35 million Tokyo residents. its still in planning stage for the cleanup. Makes "Coal" look relativley clean! If you don't believe me google the radiation plum from Japan.

Personally I understand local community, however for the greater value of Australia's economic well being its critical. We have the highest minning standards of running such facilties in the world and have even exported such innovations and technology.

I trust in the process and that the people objecting see that they are lucky they live in Australia and the Hunter Valley.

I support the submission, I am a 43 year old woman who has waited 23 years to get into a job like this, I waited till my kids were grown , working dead end jobs, finally I am loving my position here, I want to keep this mine going, I want to see the community benefit from contributions from the mine itself, and indirectly from workers spending and living locally, I see the mined areas being transformed back to how it was originally, I am proud to be a miner at mount Thorley/ Warkworth..

Alot of young famliys depend on the mines expansion

I, along with many other people and companies, rely on MTW operating for the long term future of my family and myself. If the extension is approved it will cement the long term emplyment of myself and many others, not to mention the jobs created in the future.

im in support of this extension

The reasons I support this submission is that it will support my family in the future providing stability and security, also the future of mining and investment in this area will be in serious doubt if not approved which will send investors offshore creating more unemployment. For myself being in this industry for 18 years would be a major blow to my family, friends and workmates.

I support the submission as I am married and the father of four children. I am the sole income earner in my family so the impact of this would be catostophic to our families future.

I feel that if the extension doesn't go through my community will suffer, my family will suffer and the coal industry will begin a down wood spiral. The NSW government will also lose royalties and taxes. The coal industry needs this to go forward.

i am the very proud farther of 3 teenage daughters! For this reason and this reason only i am very much im favour of this extention! my job and up to 1300 of my workmates is completly reliant upon a positive outcome for my employer in this matter! above and beyond this it is needed to be kept in mind that not only will my wife and i and our 3 children be affected times 1300 of my woork mates, the flow on affect to the community is massive! should we be out of a job 3 companys in the local comunity i have worked for in the past atleast would have to scale down if not close completely due to there reliance upon the MTW dollars spent in the local comunity. in summing up, several hundred local busineses countless local clubs and charritys and as a flow on literally thousands of jobs and tens of thousands of family members left without jobs and futures!

The importance of the extension of MTW to me personally means a great deal over a wide spectrum. Only being in the mining game for 5 years, i would like to see my working life out at this mining site.
I have a young family, including my 4 year old son, and i need to support them the best way that i can. I would also like my son in the future to pursue a careeer in the mining industry. If i lose my job, i will not be able to support them, and i will have to move areas, which will effect my family life, friends, commitments etc.
If we lose our jobs, the community and locals will suffer.
Australia is a mining country, and it should stay that way. The foundations of the area were built on coal.

Both myself and my partner work at the mine, if the submission does not go ahead, it will force us to leave the area as jobs will be hard to come by, the whole community will be affected by the desission and downturn if it doesn't go ahead

This extension is vital for me and my future family!

My Wife and I have been working in the valley at MTW for over the past two years. in that time we have purchased a home in Singleton and are expecting our first born child in December.

If this extension fails to go ahead then both our jobs will be at risk along with our financial security. The whole of the valley will suffer economically as will any future mining projects and investments in this state!

We love living and working in the valley and plan to raise our family here, however this will not be possible if the Government fails to get behind the community and invest in our future.

Please consider my concerns along with my 1300 work mates who are having to face the same uncertainty.

I am over 50 & have left it till now to make my money. This is suposed to be my last job. There is enough resource in this mine to see me out. If I qualify for the pension I will have failed. Becomming a liability to the state is supposed to be an option. I need this mine to keep going as planned.

I am submitting this statement in support of the current submission to Development and Planning.

As a worker at this minesite, I understand the impact that these operations have on areas of the general community. However, mining in this country is a major income earner and the flow on effect to the local and the broader community is very substantial.

Whether mining is seen as desirable or not to various areas of the community does not escape the fact that it does support a large portion of the population particularly in the Hunter Valley. Progress is sometimes a bitter pill to swallow however progress does happen and many industrial developments do impact on various areas of the community.

Another element to this discussion is the fact that if mining companies or any large corporations find unrealistic and restrictive constraints in seeking approval for developments, those organisations will look to other alternatives in other regions and in other countries.

If Australia has developed policies that don't support local industries such as manufacturing and primary production and these industries have progressively disappeared, then what is left for us here to produce? Australia used to ride on the sheeps back as was the case in years gone by. Now, Australia rides in the back of Mine Haul truck and that is a fact of life.

As an older age worker, my concern is not so much for me and my future but for the people who are here with young families who rely on this industry.

I ask those who are considering the validity of this submission to give careful consideration to the points that I have presented here. Our future, at least in the short term is in your hands.

To get the extention at mtw would make a major impact on my employment as im a single bread earner for my family and having job security is a major decision why the extention is so important.

if this submission is not successful it will affect my family, I have a child on the way and I will not be able to provide for them.

As an employee of MTW, I would not like to be on the unemployed line waiting for a handout. If the extension is not granted, that would happen to not just me.
I cannot understand how any government could make a company go through the hoopes, spend millions on aprovals, and then one person has the right to so no,but then this is Auatralia.

My family future in singleton will be severly affected with out this aproval. Relocation is the only way i will be able to support my family, loss of income to local busnisses and volunter work will also have to cease in our area.