Warkworth Coal Mine Continuation

I strongly support the statement below:

"1300 jobs depend on Mount Thorley Warkworth which has been part of the Singleton community for more than 30 years. I can only imagine what the impact would be to families who have been in the region for generations if it is not approved to continue mining. But the impact doesn't stop with the people directly employed by MTW: in 2013 alone we spent over $188 million with local businesses in the Upper Hunter. Without the continuation, impacts will be felt right across the Hunter region".

1300 jobs rely on MTW. MTW has been part of the Singleton community for over 30years. It will be devastating for all those people to lose thier jobs, and likely have to leave the community to find work elsewhere. Devastating for them personally and devasting for our community to lose such a large resource.

I am in favour of the extension as it provides employment and economic benefits for the area and state which in the current economic climate is desperately needed.

Rio Tinto is renowned for effectively finding, developing and exploiting mineral resources in a safe, environmentally friendly and socially responsible manner in all of its global operations. MTW would not be an exception.

If this great asset is short-lived, there is a potential of serious negative emotional and economic repercursions at Singleton and its surrounding communities. I believe no leader at the opposing side would like something like this to happen to their relatives and friends.

I humbly entreat all stakeholders opposing the project to look at the brighter side of the project while highlighting their concerns, and together with Rio Tinto, set out action plans to address those concerns.

Long live MTW, its surrounding communities and greater coorporation.

Please keep the 1300 jobs, Families and associated businesses safe. It would devastate the town of Singleton if not approved. There are also many local people out of work or about to be redundant with the closing of Integra Mine. MTW is an already established mine with all associated infrastructure and with employees (My husband and myself) who want jobs for our children and also endeavour for full rehabilitation of the area post-mining. If our Government is serious about going away from coal fired power stations, they need to get cracking on alternative power infrastructure (solar farms) and job creation for our youth and this is not going to happen in the short term.

The local community of Bulga was promised a specific commitment of protected land and separation from MTW mining activities. This application is in direct violation of that commitment, and was, in my opinion, previously rejected for perfectly valid reasons. It is true that the employees and contractors of MTW will be forced to deal with the prospect of redundancy, relocation, and unemployment, but this is not enough of a justification to keep a business running if the rights of neighbouring land owners will be violated by the business. Boiling the argument down, it is being asserted that MTW should be allowed to extend its life because the economic needs of the many outweigh the rights of the few. This reasoning, if accepted, could be used by every mining operation everywhere when they encounter a political, civil, or social boundary to their intended resource. If a natural commodity, coal or otherwise, was absolutely critical to the survival of the community as a whole I would be in favour of "Imminent Domain" trumping the rights of a minority population, but there is no way to make that argument here. The termination of MTW mining activity will certainly cause economic strife for those suckling at that particular teat, but it could hardly be argued that Australia, NSW, or even the local communities of Singleton, Muswellbrook, Jerrys Plains, or Broke could not survive without the continued existence of MTW. Every single person working with natural resources must accept this reality: once a resource is effectively exhausted, even if the boundaries of that resource are socio-political, so too are the benefits of extracting that resource - like ones income. I am also an RTCA employee, and I am in the same boat. I believe MTW should be held to its original commitments to the neighbouring communities, and if that means it has exhausted its reserves, then so be it.

The Hunter Valley relies upon Mining to generate an underlying economic tide such that other industries can flourish. The Hunter Valley has a diverse economic profile however mining in this area has created the opportunities to increase this diversification through continual local investment and partnerships.

The global economy has been weakened by many external factors however Australia has been able to weather these factors however should this country harm its domestic industries it will follow the example of other struggling economies. In this climate we must protect the economy for it is the only means by which a reduction in the national defecit can be achieved.

I must emphasise that this region, whilst diverse, has grown and stabalised with the economic stimulus of the mining within the area. Without the continual support to complete this, the diversity of the region will retract and soon the area will not be economically viable to invest within.

My family and I moved to Singleton for a role in mining. In the almost 2 years we have been here, we have already seen the local impacts of mining operations laying people off and scaling down operations with businesses closing and many empty houses in the town. If MTW is unable to continue, the impact will be far more than just on employees of the mine. Landlords, small business owners, service operators and many locals will all be affected. Mining has had a place in this country and this community for a long time and is too valuable to be shut down by campaigns driven by a vocal minority.

I support it

1300 jobs depend on Mount Thorley Warkworth which has been part of the Singleton community for more than 30 years. I can only imagine what the impact would be to families who have been in the region for generations if it is not approved to continue mining. But the impact doesn't stop with the people directly employed by MTW: in 2013 alone $188 million was spent with local businesses in the Upper Hunter. Without the continuation, impacts will be felt right across the Hunter region.

Coal is an essential part of the global energy mix, without it, millions of people will not afford access to electricity and will continue to live in poverty. The fight for mining continuation is not only for the benefit of workers, the community and the broader NSW economy but we also must balance extreme approaches from an environmental perspective with the development of the world's most disadvantaged.

My livelihood and that of my family depends on the continuation of the MTW mine, as do all my colleagues and their families, not to mention the multitude of businesses that support us throughout the hunter valley.

1300 jobs depend on Mount Thorley Warkworth which has been part of the Singleton community for more than 30 years. I can only imagine what the impact would be to families who have been in the region for generations if it is not approved to continue mining. But the impact doesn't stop with the people directly employed by MTW: in 2013 alone MTW spent over $188 million with local businesses in the Upper Hunter. Without the continuation, impacts will be felt right across the Hunter region

As an employee at MTW my job depends on the Warkworth Continuation approval. My family has bought a house in Singleton, my children go to school here and we shop here - without a job we cannot stay. We have many friends with young families in the same position and I worry for our and their futures, as well as the larger workforce and small business dependent upon the operation.

The drop in house prices and rental vacancies in Singleton are a clear indication of the impact a downturn in mining is having on the local community. If the future of MTW is not secured these impacts will only be exacerbated.

I support the Warkworth application for extension not only for the 1300 jobs it would save that work at the mine site itself but also for all the businesses in the surrounding districts that count on Warkworth for their business to continue in the current economic climate.

If the 1300 jobs are not enough, my son lost his apprenticeship because of the down turn. This has created problems inside my family. Luckily he still lived at home and was not trying to find money to pay for a house and other dets.
This will be the case if MTW do not get an etension.
The businesses that support MTW will not need to employ that person/people, so these family people will be defaulting on loans as the work is just not there like it was 2 years ago.
My son has had to leave the area as companies can employ trade qualified people, people with families, and others leave.
Keep the jobs here.

I am writing to express my support regarding the Warkworth Continuation Project. I understand the concern of the mine's near neighbours as I am a near neighbour of a coal mine. I see this mine's lights, hear its sounds and can see the constant changing visual amenity, but I understand that I live in a mining community. The employment of Warkworth's 1300+ workers, the millions of dollars that Warkworth spends in the community and the livelihoods of hundreds of services providers are all at risk while this application is being debated. The stress and uncertainty of the past months has been terrible for my family, my co-workers and myself. Unfortunately, I fear it will feel insignificant to the wider reaching communal adversity that will result from large job losses through the inability to continue operating this mine.

I wish to register my support for the Warkworth continuation project.

The 1300 workers at Mt Thorley Warkworth deserve a secure future by allowing the continuation project to continue. The many businesses in the Hunter region that provide services for MTW also deserve support, along with their hard-working employees.

The continuation projects for Mt Thorley and Warkworth benefit not only the local community, but also all of New South Wales by bringing much needed export dollars into the state economy. The royalties from the continuation project benefit everyone in NSW by enabling the state government to spend more on services and infrastructure.

Enough jobs have been lost already in the region due to mine closures. The region could use some hope and security for the future rather than face more uncertainty.

As a teenager in north-west Queensland, I saw the effects the closure of a mine can have on a small community. My family owned a small business that was unrelated to mining, but with the job losses and people forced to move away to look for new work, our business suffered enormously. And my parents weren't the only ones - a lot of essential services and trades diminished. Many who didn't work for the mine found themselves out of work, and community morale was low for a very long time after that. Mining contributes so much more than direct jobs to a community. If MTW doesn't get the approvals required to keep mining, impacts will be felt by many in Singleton and surrounding towns.

As a young entrant into the industry the Warkworth mine has given me an opportunity to develop and enhance my career. It would be disappointing to see this oportunity dried up to future young people looking at a avenue in the mining industry if the application is turned down. I fear for a lack of opportunities given to young people in the Hunter with both the decline in the industry sector investment on the back of low coal price and high dollar coupled with closures, downsizing and approval rejections curbing the demand for skilled trades and professions in the industry. In tough times for the industry I believe it doesnt need any inflammation from yet another submission to be turned down.

The economy of the Hunter Valley is dependant on mining, and ongoing production at Mount Thorley Warworth is part of this essential industry