Warkworth Coal Mine Continuation

My name is Darren and I have been employed at Mt Thorley mine for 5 years as Mobile Equipment Operator.
I feel that this extension is a good thing. The majority of workers at this mine spend their earnings locally, invest locally and have positive intentions of a long term future in the valley.
I feel that mining and local industry, such as wineries and horse studs, can work together in a harmonious relationship.
We have state of the art dust and sound emission controls in place and take the concerns of our neighbours in the immediate area very seriously.
If the MTW Continuation Project is approved 1300 immediate employees at the mine will be able to continue investing in the local area. Add to this the hundreds of supporting businesses and their employees that depend on MTW for a large percent of their business.
Unfortunately if MTW is forced to shut down, I will leave the area and continue my mining career elsewhere, which is unfortunate because I would like to settle down and invest my time and money in the hunter region.

Please help us keep the local economy flourishing and support the Mt Thorley Continuation Project.

I have been working at Warkworth mine for 6 years as a mobile equipment operator. I also have a local business in Bulga where I live with my wife and two children age 19 and 15. I've lived in the area for 20 years now. I would like to stay in the Bulga as a family unit and see my children being able get work in the area.
If I was to lose my mine job at MTW the implications would be catastrophic on my family. We would not be able to pay the mortgage. People would move away from the local Hunter Valley area and this would also affect my local business in the area.
I support the Mt Thorley Warkworth Continuation Project going ahead and getting an answer soon as it is causing my family and the families in and around the area a lot of stress wondering if we will have a job to support us in a year's time. People are holding on to their money and not spending it in the area at the moment with all the uncertainty.

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 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.

if we do not get this approval i dont no how much longer i would keep my job and dont no where i would find work with the current situation in mining.

this extension approval is a MUST, so many people depend on it, not only myeslf and my family, but all the familes that are involved with the mine, families that have businesses linked to the mine, if this extension doesnot go ahead the hunter will witness a massive domino effect, coal mines are what keep the hunter running, and they have done so for the past 30-40 years,

i feel it is pretty poor that someone is going to let thejobs of 1300 people lie in the hands of a small few from some made up commitee, made up of yep you guessed it, wives and relatives of coal miners who work in the area.

in the big scheme of things who would you rather see miss out, a small commitiee or potentialy thousands.

adam.

my husband works at this mine and our family depends on his wage that the coal mine gives him each fornight, and i am sure there are many other people the same as us.

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 associated with MTW can remain in the hunter valley and proudly call it our home for a long time to come enabling

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 live in Singleton and support the MTW application. The Mine Supports many people directly and many more people and businesses indirectly and it would be a negative on the community if this application was not approved.

I need this approval to keep my job.

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.

We need this extension to be approved for the future of MTW and the local community. I've been a singleton resident for 56 yrs and hope that my grandchildren get to see Singleton evolve the same way that I have. For this to happen we must ensure that mining is strong and approvals like this one will do that.

I am one of the more than 1300 workers at Mount Thorley Warkworth mine that needs your Government to protect my job.
Mount Thorley Warkworth mine has been operating for 30 years. As well as our workforce, the employees of hundreds of other businesses who supply the mine also rely on it having a strong future.
The Warkworth Extension Project will mean we have jobs for the next 21 years. It will deliver hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties to be used for projects like roads and hospitals that will benefit people across New South Wales. It will also allow Mount Thorley Warkworth to continue supporting many local organisations that make a real difference to communities in the Hunter Valley.
If this Extension does not go ahead I am worried about the impact it will have on not only my family and friends but the whole community, our way of life depends on this.
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Please help the many hundreds of families who rely on this mine.
Regards
Craig Sheedy

The Mount Thorley Warkworth mine has been a part of the Singleton and surrounding communities for over 30 years, providing an income to thousands of locals over that time. This income has allowed these people and their familys to buy houses and land in the surrounding towns, and has a flow on effect of income or revenue to local buisness, farmers, councils, schools, hospitals and so on. There is a potential to have this income injected into local communitys for another thirty years if this project is approved. Recently there have been a number of local mines colse with over 2000 direct job losses, and for each of these jobs lost there is potentially another 4 job loses indirectly. Less people working in local mines equals less families living in the local area, less revenue for local shops, less kids in schools, the list goes on.
I hope that for the future of not only my family, but the futures of the thousands of families supported directly or indirectly by the Mount Thorley Warkworth mine, that this project is approved and continues to be able to provide a lifestyle to thousands of local families.