Warkworth Coal Mine Continuation

Recently, MTW once again put forward it's submission to continue mining to ensure that the existing production volumes can be sustained and the existing workforce maintained. MTW has recently gone through a similar process which took some 4 years to come to a conclusion that the application for an extension was not going to be approved. I am shocked that a decision of this magnitude took such a long time. If this were to be the case on this occasion then MTW would surely have no other choice than to ramp down production and therefore reduce the workforce regardless of the application being approved or not.

I am currently employed through Rio Tinto at MTW on a full time basis. I am concerned that if this application does not get approved or is delayed (similar to the previous application) then my job at MTW, like many of my colleagues, would be in jeopardy. This is a significant concern to me as my wife is due to have our first baby in September, putting our family under enormous stress during this period.

I am also concerned for the residents and businesses in the local Singleton area. If MTW was not granted approval to proceed then this would surely have a devastating effect on the local community, not only with jobs lost directly at MTW, but also through other businesses that support MTW. I also believe that a mine with so much vested interest in the local community would have other social and political impacts on the local Singleton population. I know that mining is currently going through a difficult time, which has already depressed house prices; government taxes' and further investment, but a closure or reduction in production and employee numbers at MTW would only exacerbate these issues.

I believe, in general, that the local community is supportive of MTW and the people that are employed at this site. For not only my families future, but also for the future of other employees at MTW, local businesses, local community members and local and state governments, I hope that MTW's application for an extension of mining, on the existing lease, be approved in a timely manner to allow MTW to plan for future years and allow the workforce to have certainty.

i support this application as my job depends on the approval but also alot of my freinds and family work in business tied in with the mine industry

rio tinto have supplied training and a future for our family i only hope we have a secure job here

I have worked at MTW now for 12 years. MTW as well as the other mines in the hunter valley create business and have a huge flow on affect to local busineses. MTW supports contracting companies to cafe's, retail and grocery stores, service stations and butcher shops, Clubs and hotels just to name a few. If the mine was to close there will be 1300 people out of work and the unemployment rate in the hunter would be at an all time high. I support the extension of MTW as well as the extensions of other mines in the area. Without them the hunter valley would become a gost town.

Coal industry businesses within the Hunter Valley region are currently struggling to maintatin fesable operation in the current economic climate as it. I have seen many friends and collegues loose their jobs due to redundancies and company cut backs over the last two years. So many people have lost their jobs already and are finding it hard to re-gain employment. There are so few positions available for the number of people who are seeking employment. If the MTW extention gets knocked back then I believe that this will put an even greater strain on the job seekers market in the Hunter Valley region.

I'm just writting this submission to express my view that the extention should go through. I'm currently an electrical apprentice at MTW with many years left of my working career. Job prospects are slim with the industry being the way it is now, without this extention many people will not only loose their jobs, lively hood ,way of life and people like myself looking for work will have to move and look elsewhere. Effecting families and the younger generation, like myself.

I have been employed in the mining industry for 30 years. For 14 years I have been an employee at Mount Thorley Warkworth as mobile equipment operator.
I support the Mt Thorley Warkworth Continuation Project going ahead. If this does not go ahead I will not be able to pay off my mortgage. I have two children who work in the mining industry and I worry about what they will do if future mining projects get halted. I am concerned about the flow on effect in the community if families are leaving the area that have to seek employment elsewhere. I had planned to see this job into my retirement and I do not know what I would do for employment at my age.
Please approve the Mt Thorley Warkworth Continuation Project to secure our jobs.

The Singleton Labor party supports the Warkworth Continuation Project and the subsequent employment of local workers this project will continue to provide. The failure of this project to go forward will see a major loss of jobs for local families which will have a devastating flow on affect which will directly impact on businesses, real estate and family lives locally as well as many businesses further abroad that supply and support the mining communities.

We need this extension for the township of Singleton to survive. The retail sector is already taking a hit from local mining job losses - Support Singleton's future and secure the MTW extension to provide more jobs and stability in Singleton and the surrounding areas!

I have been employed in the Hunter Valley mining industry for 30 years. Twenty-three of these years I have been employed at Mount Thorley Warkworth mine. Mount Thorley Warkworth Mine provides a stable income for 1300 full time employees and puts $200million into the local Hunter Valley economy through paying companies that do work for MTW each year. If MTW does not get the Mount Thorley Warkworth Continuation Project approved I am worried about what this means for local jobs and investment across the NSW mining industry.

As a proud indigenous man I play a large role in mentoring young indigenous men in our community and seeing them into training and jobs throughout the area. I fear if the mining industry in the Singleton area was to slow businesses in the local area would not be as actively involved in this programme. I would no longer be able to continue this work which is valuable to the indigenous youth in the Hunter Valley.

I have involved myself in OHS and aspects of safety within the Hunter Valley over the years as part of my employment at Mount Thorley Warkworth mine. I intended to see this job into my retirement. If MTW does not get the Continuation project approved I fear myself, and my daughter who relies on local mining families for her business, will have to leave the area to find employment.

I would like to see the Mt Thorley Warkworth Continuation Project approved so myself, my colleagues and the local community can have some certainty about our futures in the Hunter Valley.

I have previously worked at Mount Thorley Warkworth (MTW) and other mining operations in the Singleton/ Hunter Valley area as a contractor and fully support mining in the Hunter Valley.
I lived in the Hunter Valley for 23 years and know many friends and family that work in mining and some that have lost jobs their jobs in mining over the last 12 months. I fully support the economic benefits of the mining industry in the Hunter Valley.
More people will move interstate to Western Australia and Queensland or internationally to find work (As I did in 2012) if these mining projects like MTW are not approved having a negative effect on local communities and economy of the Hunter Valley and surrounding Maitland and Newcastle areas and the state of NSW.
I support mining.

i fully support the extension of the mine and the safety of the 1300 jobs, permenants and contractors at the mine and all the buisness people we deal with localy

I've been employed at Mt Thorley Warkworth for the past 11yrs, in that time I've grown to be a valued & skilled employee. I live in Singleton & in that time bought my own home & made a life there. I'm a single mum with 2 sons, so to lose my job would be catastrophic! With so many people losing their jobs it would be extremely hard to find other work in the area. It's taking a massive toll in Singleton the way the industry is at the moment, businesses are closing their doors & housing values have plummeted to an all-time low. If MTW doesn't get this extension, Singleton will not survive. My parents live at Milbrodale & have for the past 20yrs, I've asked them on many occasions if there is or has been any environmental impact to them re: dust, noise. They said it has never been an issue. I have other friends that live in Bulga that don't have any issues at all. The company is so conscious & compliant with all environmental issues, they are very considerate of their neighbours. I hope that everything is brought into consideration before a decision is made. The only thing holding us back is a very small minority of people, which includes people that work in the industry at other pits. I hope that we all have a strong future to look forward to & the future of our children also.

My family and I reside in Singleton and my husband is employed by Coal & Allied. I feel that the MTW continuation is an opportunity to provide some stability to a region that is still suffering from the many job losses incurred across all mines and subsequently mine service providers, over the past couple of years. To have this mine close prematurely would be catastrophic not only for the miners and their immediate families but for the many small business owners that rely on the custom of families like mine.
I understand that the main objections to this expansion are fears of environmental impacts. The same impacts that are currently managed to a high standard by the mine. A mine that is heavily legislated and inspected regularly.

I have been employed in the Hunter Valley mining industry with Coal and Allied for 35 years. I started in the mining industry driving locomotive coal trains, then continued employment with Coal and Allied at their Mount Thorley Warkworth mine as a Shovel Driver. I rely on my job to support my family and pay my mortgage. I intended my job at Mount Thorley Warkworth mine to see me into retirement.

If Mt Thorley Warkworth Mine was to close it would have a massive impact on the broader community. Mt Thorley Warkworth Mine provides a stable income for 1300 full time employees and puts $200million into the local Hunter Valley economy through paying companies that do work for MTW each year. It is causing me much stress with the uncertainty of not knowing whether I will have a job next year and really affecting the morale between my colleagues at MTW.

I support the Mt Thorley Warkworth Continuation Project and hope it gets approved.

I am a single mum and my living is reliant on my job at Warkworth

This is one of many mines in the local area that provide employment to many people directly & many more indirectly. If this application is not approved then an enormous amount of contribution will be lost both locally & across the state.

The proposed activity at Warkworth is unacceptable. The endangered ecological community is far from "protected" by the conditions of this proposal.

The governments proposed tools ask for the least possible offset requirements, looking suspiciously like they have been cherry picked to just this aim.

The use of mine rehabilitation, which is an existing requirement, to offset the impact is not satisfactory for this project or any projects as will be the case due to the soon to be released Framework for Biodiversity Assessment (FBA) for major projects;

The fact that the government is allowing an existing offset to be mined means that there is no guarantee that the inadequate offsets that are being proposed will be conserved into perpetuity.

Yet again the government failing to protect and serve the community (and it's environmental requirements) but instead bending over to the demands of big business.

Give MTW their extension for the good of families livelihood

I am an employee at MTW and have been for the past 4.5 years! The mine isn't just my livelihood, but also that of 1300 others, which without the extension will all be out of a job, and with the current mining crisis would find it very difficult, if not impossible, to find further work, and therefore leaving many families unable to provide the necessities required to live.
The mine has proved to provide millions of dollars back into the hunter annually, both directly and indirectly with donations etc, use of subcontractors and also providing income for those living in the area who put the money back into the economy!
I strongly support the extension, not just because I am an employee there, but also because it's the future of 1300 of my colleagues, it's millions of dollars back into the community and the future of the hunter valley!