Mod 6 - Expansion of Coal Mine

I support the extension for my future & those of my community and family

I support the extension for my husband and his future & those of our community

My employment depends on this decission

I live locally and strong belive that the mtw extension will secure my family's future and prevent us having to relocte for work.

My employment depends on this operation getting the extension

I have worked at MTW for 28yrs and would like to see out my working career here. I fully support the MTW extension and the benifits it brings to the community.

Ive grown up in the hunter valley and i come from a family of miners,ive been in the industry for four and a half years and really enjoy the working in the industry, im really counting on the extension because there is alot more i can learn about the industry but , more importantly the job sercurity and financial benifets this job means to me and my family. my entire family are from the hunter valley and live localally and would hate to move away to find work if i was unfortanate to lose my job like some unlucky people already have. myself and my family really hope the extension goes threw so we can stay in the valley and have a permanant residance and a sercure job for the rest of my working days.

WHATS HAPPENING TO THE GREAT AUSTRALIAN DREAM Growing up your perants had always told you be honest work hard and you will own your own Australian Dream. Im now at this stsge im my life where im being honest and working hard.....So closing our Mine... what will this do to my Australian Dream and the 1300 other it will effect. The mining industy only makes up 14per cent of the Australian work force,cutting 1300 jobs @ our mine where dose it leave us. Yes i have a morage yes i have a trade but cutting all our jobs @ once.....where do we stand.... this is a job i have always wanted and thought would last a life time takihg this away from me is taking not only my job but my dream to forefill The Australian Dream that is owning my HOME being able to look after my family go away on holidays and be the previder what man dose not want that.

I moved to the area 3 years ago from North Queensland to escape the contractor environment(turning up to work and finding out you don't have a job). My wife has returned to work after the birth of our second son and has an ongoing position with a finacial intstitution( which she has just been awarded Rookie of the year). My eldest son is in Prep at the moment and will be enrolling in a local school Kindergarten next year, he also attends a local Karate class and both my children attend local swimming lessons. I have a car that is salary sacrificed through my employer, which means that I also use local mechanics and services for both our family vehicles. I attend local Doctors and other medical services in my community. So as you can see my financial gain through mining is all spent within my local community. I am only one of 1300 employees within my company which is a small number of the local mining infrastructure for the whole Hunter Valley. If the extension for Mount Thorley Warkworth is not approved my family will have no option but to declare bankruptcy and to return to North Queensland and I will have to return to a Drive In Drive Out lifestyle which will take any financial gains away from the local community and also remove me from my family for the duration required to attend work. My wife and I have just bought a house which if we have our employment terminated we will be unable to make the required payments. So as you no doubt can ascertain I am a coal miner, yes I earn a good income but I also support all my local businesses and infrastructure. So please consider wisely and right the wrongs of the previous government.

I have been onsite for 25 months, I am currently a contractor on site with Resco. We moved up here from Sydney to buy a house and start a family. I live locally, where I have just bought a house. With this extension uncertainty we are postponing starting a family until there is an outcome. As I will be the sole income earner in the household. Failure to get the extension will lead to my and others unemployment which will mean great difficulties in monetary repayments and real possibilities of selling our home and relocating from the area. There is no reason to stay in the area if there is no employment. The ripple effect will occur not just the 1300 plus workers here onsite that will potentially loose their jobs but the surrounding businesses and communities. For example everyone that spends money in the area will no longer be supporting local businesses in the same way as they have been.

during the past 2 years i have been employed at mtw, and over my time here it has became more like a family to me. if this extenison does not get approved not only will i no longer have a job but i would have to leave my home town (singleton) inwhich i have just brought a house. if we dont get the approval it will leave me with no employeement, which means i will struggle with loan repayments and possibly resale. in that case id be more incline to relocate away from not only my home but my family also. and to be honest singleton would become more like a ghost town as this doesnt only effect the workers here but will rippal out to effect surrounding families and buisness. now also with the new exoress way in its incouraging people to actually visit let loan maybe furture investors.

I have been a permanent employee at Mount Thorley Warkworth for 4.5 years. In which time I have been lucky enough to be full trained on a wide range of equipment. Cominbg from a coal mining family background and born and bred Hunter Valley local, I realise the significance of MTW current proposal and the ramifications for myself, family, and local businesses and community; if the proposal is not successful. We currently have two mortgages locally, the possbility of selling our homes and relocating away from the local area would be of real concern. Especially for our children as they would move away from immediate family and friends. My immediately family additionally has small business that benefits from the mining industry and the over turning of the extension proposal would be detrimental to the business future aswell as many other businesses around the area

I am a 23 year old male and have been living in the hunter valley area for the past 2 years. I spent the first 6 months in singleton, 6 months in branxton then the following 12 in rutherford. I work fulltime at mtw in the projects devision as a maintenance fitter on their equitment. As a contractor if the mine does not go a head it is more then likely there will no longer be a job here for me, or my friends. I rely on this mine for my employment, i have a mortgage on a property in port macquarie and am looking at purchasing another one in the area. The money that this mine brings in spreads all over the area and to see this expansion fail would be terrible.

As an employee and life long local resident to the Singleton community, I wish to pledge my support to the proposed expansion of Warworth mine.

Extension project is vital for future job security to many hunter residents both directly and indirectly employed by the mine. It also provides the state government economic stiumulus for the people of NSW through the form of roylaties and taxes both from the corporation and the employees. I believe that there could be a lifestyle degeneration in the community if the mine had to downsize due to a possible rise in unemployment in the immediate area. The consent is not for a new additional open cut mine but for an extension of an existing one, well established for the past thirty years with people and families depending on the mine's operational ability for as long at has been functional. For these reasons I give my support for the consent.

My family and I have moved to the local area because of my employment with Mount Thorley warkworth and depend on this expansion to keep us in the town we love.

I have been with Rio for nearly three years, working as a Mechanical Engineer. Rio has given me an amazing opportunity to develop my skills and has always promoted a happy, safe and sustainable work environment.
I have worked for a number of mining companies in the past and i've been completely amazed at the level of concern and dedication that Rio commits to ensuring that their operations minimise any negative impacts on the community and environment. I'm proud to be a part of this great company.

Both myself and my wife's jobs with be under threat if the proposed development does not go through. My wife's company contracts work from this pit and are already struggling to keep there employee's in work. I've worked here for over two years and am hoping for a long career here and security for my family. I currently live locally and would not be able to afford to stay if the proposal is rejected. THis would mean us moving away from the area to get jobs.

As an employee at Mt. Thorley I support this application lodged by Mt.Thorley / RTCA for the 350 mtr extension. I NEED my job and as do my work collegues. My job is my life and my children need the support and funds from their mothers job to be able to survive. There are no jobs around at the moment and rejecting this application will totally devistate the employees, their families and the local community whom all repy on Mt.Thorley / RTCA to survive.

Dear Minister,

I support Coal & Allied's Warkworth Modification application to gain access to an additional 350m of land owned by the mine, to avoid a significant drop in production and employment.

Insert personal details regarding why you or someone you know relies on Mount Thorley Warkworth. For example:

*I'm a long term employee of the mine having worked there for 24 years

*I'm a maintenance supervisor in the coal preparation plant


*I'm concerned about the future of the mine if jobs were lost it will have a huge effect not only on my life but many others that are employed directly or indirectly.

Mount Thorley Warkworth provides a stable income for over 1,300 full time employees in the Hunter Valley. And the operation of the mine reaches into many other businesses that supply MTW. Thousands of people depend on this mine and if production was to drop, the result could be devastating.

We need certainty. We've been wondering what the future holds now for four years. If this minor modification to an existing, 30 year old mine does not get approved, I am worried about what this will mean for local jobs and investment across the NSW mining industry.

Please accept this submission in support of the Warkworth Modification.

Regards
Neil Anthony Bridge