Mt Thorley Coal Mine Continuation

I am employed by a contractor and work on a full time basis at MTW. I commenced a traineeship in January 2014, which is a 2 year commitment. I have a partner, a six year old daughter and another child on the way. We are a single income household and would suffer severely if MTW was to not get the mining extension. With other mines closing down and reducing employee numbers in the surrounding area it would make the chances of me obtaining a position in another mine very difficult because there would be an overwhelming supply of experienced operators, rendering my two year traineeship almost useless.

I have been employed at the Mt Thorley Warkworth mine as mobile equipment operator for 5 years. I have a wife and 5 children to support on my income. If I was to lose my job at MTW it would impact my family hard. We would find it hard to pay the rent, bill and school fees. I believe I would have to leave the Hunter Valley to find another job due to all the other people who have lost their jobs in the mines in the local area recently. My children enjoy their school and would be devastated if they had to leave the area and their friends they have made.
The uncertainty of not knowing if I will have a job next year is causing my family a lot of stress. I support the Mt Thorley Warkworth Continuation Project

I have worked at MTW as an operator for the last 4 years,the first 18 months as a contractor through Skilled and then was given the opportunity of a permanent position at Christmas 2011.What a great Christmas present it was to finally land a permanent position in a world class mining operation at MTW. Security is the key word here and not too far from home which is invaluable in regards to fatigue issues. This is the third coal mine I have worked in in the Hunter area in my short 6 years in this business and by far the most professional.
I am 53 years old and totally rely on my position here at MTW, as if this place closes in 18 months because of our extension being denied I will be nearly unemployable in comparison to younger people which is causing me some sleepless nights as I have a mortgage and family.
When our original extension was Granted a couple of years ago prior to my permanent position, which was the key reason I decided to stay at MTW (knowing the mine had another 20 years)and security to retirement rather than look for employment elsewhere,,I purchased a property and took on a sizeable mortgage close to this permanent place of work so that travel and fatigue would not be an issue. Then we find out that the extention was overturned which has thrown a lot of us into unsafe financial and mental ground. If this new extension is not approved it will impact on me and my family quite heavily as I would be forced to possibly look for employment out of the area,and if we have to relocate it would be financially devastating as real estate values have dived in this area because of the mining downturn and would more than likely loose money when selling home to relocate.And there are 1300 other people here that will also be looking for a similar job to me which will make this extremely hard for all concerned,, it is incomprehensible to even picture the possibility of going from a good safe income to ending up on social security which will happen to some people here if this extension is not granted.

I have been employed in the mining industry since 1999 and at Mt Thorley Warkworth mine for 2 and a half years as a Mobile Equipment operator. I need this job to support my wife and child. We are a single income family and we would not be able to pay the rent and bills if I lost this job.
I have lived in the Hunter Valley my whole life. If Mt Thorley Warkworth was to close it would have a massive impact on the wider community. I would have to leave the area to find employment I feel as there have been a lot of job loses already in the mining industry in this area. It is causing me a lot of stress with the uncertainty of not knowing whether I will have a job soon and really affecting morale between my colleagues at MTW.
I support the Mt Thorley Warkworth Continuation Project and hope it gets approved

As the wife of an employee at MTW I wish to extend my support for the continuation of the MTW mine.
As a family (we have a 2 year old son) we have made the hunter region our home and hope to be able to continue to call it our home for a long time to come. We have made significant investments into the hunter area which we have already seen depreciate quite considerably due to the current state of the mining industry and its flow on effects to other sectors of the community.
If this proposal or continuation is rejected our fears are that the hunter region particularly that of the upper hunter will not be able to support and provide suitable solid income for those that are effected thus meaning a majority including our family would be required to relocate in order to find suitable employment.
Please strongly consider and support the MTW continuation so that not only our family but all those employed or linked to MTW can remain in the hunter valley and proudly call it our home for a long time to come

I have worked at Mt Thorley Warkworth for over 12 years. In that time I have raised a family, built a new home and contributed in numerous ways to my community all due to the fact of my employment in mining in the hunter. My children are now contributing also one as an electrical fitter and one as an enrolled nurse. If my employment had not been ongoing myself and my family would not be living in the area. At the age of 54 I would find it very difficult to gain employment with the environment we have today with job losses throughout Australia. I ask that you look favourably on this submission not only for myself with employment but the community that I live in also.

My employment depends on the extension being approved. I wish to continue raising a family in the hunter valley. I feel I may have to leave the hunter valley to secure new employment if I were to lose my job.

I've been an employee here for 30 years. Seen a lot of changes in the industry, a lot of ups and downs. If this extension does not get approved the mine will eventually close and it could mean the end of my mining career.

I want a stable future for myself and my family. I fear that if the mining lease extension doesn't get approval I will lose my job. I believe it would be difficult to get another job in this current climate.

I have a wife and 4 kids. We rely on my income to support our family. I am the only income provider. Without the lease extension being approved I could be forced to relocate back to Sydney for employment. The future would look very uncertain for my young family.

I am 25 years old. Have been working at MTW for 6 years. I have recently built my first home and my repayments on the home rely on my employment at MTW. When I first started here the mine was said to have 30 years life left and with that in mind was where I wanted to set myself up and become a long term employee with prospects of even retirement at MTW. I want long term stability in my workforce so that it helps provide to my family and not only sets me up but sets them up for a stable future. If the mine was not to get the extension I believe I would find it hard to find another job as beneficial as this one in the current environment.

I have a family to support so job security is important to me and my work colleagues. It is also important for the economy throughout the hunter valley. Without the extension being approved I may have to move away from the hunter valley to gain employment.

Being married and having a family of 2 on a single income, the rejection of the lease extension would greatly affect myself and my family as my employment is my families only income. Finding another job in the current climate would be very difficult as I am of a higher age group. Also this mine just doesn't affect me but hundreds of other people who rely on this industry to support their families as well.

I have a wife and 3 kids. This extension would provide me with an income up until retirement age as I have 20 years plus left in the industry. The income I derive from the mine is spent mainly in the local community with local retailers and suppliers. My 3 kids are all settled in local schools and any change in employment would mean uprooting my family and moving in search of employment.

The future of a significant number of employees/families relies on the approval of this consent in a timely manner. The coal industry in the valley has suffered significant losses in jobs over the last couple years, and it would be extremely difficult for mine workers to find employment elsewhere. I believe the EIS adequately covers the risks and controls and with the proper consent conditions, MTW will be able to progress well into the future while providing stable high paying jobs. The direct employment at MTW impacts small business around the hunter. A loss in jobs will hurt many businesses.

I ask that the commission adequately weigh all considerations but primarily work through the economic impacts of a decision.

I support the Mt Thorley Continuation Project application to allow us to continue operating on land owned by the mine, in the existing footprint of our mining lease. Failure to grant approval will result in a significant drop in production and employment.
I started at Mt Thorley Warkworth (MTW) as a mining operator & have progressed into a leadership role. During my 14 years at MTW I have watched the Mine develop & become more sensitive to the needs of the local community & regulators. This has at times had a negative impact on production & increased costs which MTW has accepted as the way of the future with a commitment of striving for best practice in all areas.
Mount Thorley Warkworth provides a stable income for over 1,300 full time employees in the Hunter Valley. MTW also provides allot of business to the local & surrounding communities. Having lived in the local area all my life it's quite visible how the current impact of the downturn in the mining industry is being felt within the local & surrounding areas, local businesses are closing.
Many businesses & thousands of people are dependent on this mine, without it the result could be devastating.
We all need certainty. We've been wondering what the future holds for nearly 5 years. I am worried about the future for my family & about what this will mean for local jobs and investment across the NSW mining industry. Mining & local communities need to continue working together.

Please accept this submission in support of the Mt Thorley Continuation Project.

I have worked in the mining industry since 2002. I have been employed at Mt Thorley Warkworth Mine since 2008 as a mobile equipment operator. I came to the Hunter Valley for the lifestyle and the expected longevity of the Mt Thorley Warkworth mine. I expected to see myself into retirement in this job. If this Mt Thorley Warkworth continuation project does not go through I will leave the area to continue working in the mining industry. The effect on the broader community with so many people leaving the region will be catastrophic.
The uncertainty of not knowing if we will have jobs next years is playing highly on the morale of all employees at MTW at the moment. Job loses will have a devastating effect on some of my colleagues with families to support and it's is causing them a lot of stress. I support the Mt Thorley Warkworth Continuation Project going ahead.

I have lived in the local community of Singleton for 20 years and have got family who have worked in mines in the Hunter Valley and have supported their families. I have worked at Mount Thorley since the end of 2008 as an operator/trainer, with my wife working also in Singleton in a business that is also affected by the mining industry.
The uncertainty of the future of the mine adds stress not only to 1300 employees but to the whole community including small businesses and the morale in the mine site has dropped considerably also. If there was any way this process could be pushed forward would help out a lot of people considerably.

I support the Mt Thorley Continuation Project.
This Project will, in my opinion, effectively mitigate any impacts and it is imperative that it be approved given that the local and broader economy is heavily dependent upon the employment by the proponent.

I support the expansion of the Mount Thorley Warkworth Mine in the Hunter Valley as it has supported many families over the past 32 years of operation. The income from its employees and the business has contributed to the growing wealth of our region. I am a fourth generation Coal and Allied employee with 29 years of service and have faith in the future of their expansion. I believe they have demonstrated they can be a good neighbour allowing mines and farming communities to co- exist.