Boundary Hill South Project 14
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BOUNDARY HILL SOUTH PROJECT 14. Social Values 14. SOCIAL VALUES 14.1 Introduction The objective of the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) has been to identify the potential social impacts associated with the Project, including Project benefits. The SIA sought to outline the relevant processes and strategies to mitigate and manage social impacts and promote social development during the various phases of the Project. The assessment has been undertaken in accordance with Section 4.10 of the Projects Terms of Reference (ToR) and Anglo American’s corporate standards, which include general alignment with relevant international good practice. For the purposes of the SIA, the regional study area for this Project is the local government area (LGA) of Banana Shire, located in Central Queensland. The local study area has been defined primarily as the town of Biloela and its surrounds, as the Project is to be located approximately 20 kilometres to the north of the town and the majority of mine employees reside in this area. 14.2 Applicable Legislation and Policies 14.2.1 Legislation In Queensland, a SIA is necessary for all resource development projects that require an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under either the: - State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971; or - Environmental Protection Act 1994 (EP Act). As the Project falls under the requirements of the EP Act, this SIA has been prepared as part of the EIS process. In addition to the SIA, the Queensland Government’s ‘Sustainable Resource Communities Policy 2008’ (DIP, 2008) states that proponents of new and expanding major resource development projects must develop a Social Impact Management Plan (SIMP). In accordance with this requirement, a SIMP has been developed in alignment with the Department of Infrastructure and Planning ‘Social Impact Assessment Guideline to Preparing a Social Impact Management Plan’ (DIP, 2010) and can be found in Appendix S2. 14.2.2 Policy Context A number of plans and policies articulate a vision and direction for the broader Project area. Several initiatives have been rolled out across Queensland to manage the future growth of the State. Some of these initiatives are the: - ‘Major Resource Projects Housing Policy’ (DLPG, 2011) aimed at better planning for housing in resource communities. - ‘Skills and Workforce Development Investment Plan 2013’ (DETE, 2013), aligns strongly with the Queensland Government’s commitment to reform the vocational education and training (VET) sector to ensure it is contributing to a strong economy and reducing unemployment. The Plan proposes change across the following key priority areas to improve the performance and output of Queensland’s skills system: x transform VET investment; x public provider reform; x enhance apprenticeships and trade training pathways; x and workforce planning and development. - ‘Bowen, Galilee and Surat Basins Health Services Plan’ (QH, 2012) states that the future of service direction in regions is to enhance local service delivery; increase self-sufficiency through the use of a hub and spoke model; and provide flexible, integrated service delivery models which can manage the changes in demand. In addition to Queensland-wide initiatives, the Central Queensland Regional Plan (CQRP) (DSDIP, 2012) was formulated by the Department of State Development Infrastructure and Planning (DSDIP) to establish a clear Boundary Hill South Environmental Impact Statement 14-1 vision and direction for the region. The CQRP guides State and local governments in the formulation of policies and planning documents. The CQRP was gazetted on 18 October 2013. To comply with its statutory obligations at the local level, the Banana Shire Community Plan provides a clear appreciation of the needs and priorities of its residents and a framework for future development and growth (BSC, 2011). The Community Plan provides a vision for each town and sets out clear rationales and tasks, providing strategic direction on amenity, social, environment, economic and infrastructure aspects. Under the theme of economics, the Community Plan sets out priorities for working with resources industries. Key themes for working with resources industries are sustainable growth, industry contribution to infrastructure and industry commitment to communities. 14.3 Methodology The social assessment process is a way to identify, predict and assess the type and scale of potential impacts and opportunities on the communities affected by the Project. A commonly accepted definition of SIA from the ‘Guidelines and Principles for SIA’ is, “The process of assessing or estimating, in advance, the social consequences that are likely to follow from specific policy actions or project developments” (Inter-organising Committee on the Guidelines and Principles for SIA, 2003; cited in Burdge, 2004). An SIA is a systematic process of examining each component of a proposal to predict and evaluate impacts likely to arise for local and broader stakeholders. Modifications to the design, construction or management processes can then be considered with the Project design team and stakeholders. The objective is to reduce adverse impacts and increase the positive benefits of the Project. The following sections describe the steps involved in the identification and assessment of social impacts for the Project. In summary, the overall aim of the SIA methodology has been to gain a sufficient level and type of data and information on which to provide a practical basis to predict potential social impacts and develop a relevant SIMP. Four broad stages were undertaken in the development of the SIA: - Stage 1 – Review of existing information; - Stage 2 – Preparation of baseline community profile; - Stage 3 – Assessment of impacts and opportunities; and - Stage 4 – Development of a draft SIMP. The methodology for each of these four stages is detailed in the following sections. 14.3.1 Review of Existing Information A literature review has been undertaken to identify existing research and potential data sources relevant to the SIA. Documents that were identified and reviewed included: - public submissions to the draft ToR for the Project; - Queensland Government websites pertaining to areas of human services delivery (for example, Queensland Health, Education Queensland); - Banana Shire Council reports (for example, Banana Shire Community Plan); and - statistical data sources (for example, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Office of Economic and Statistical Research (OESR), Queensland Police Service (QPS)). 14.3.2 Baseline Community Profile A baseline profile has been developed to gain a thorough understanding of the existing social, cultural and economic contexts of the communities of interest most likely to be impacted by the Project. The communities of interest have been defined at a geographic and statistical level to provide for a comparison of key socio-economic indicators at a local and broader level (refer to Section 14.4.2). The profile presents a synopsis of key findings from existing research and data (refer to Section 14.3.1) and from consultation with key stakeholders (refer to Section 14.3.3). The SIA then builds on this information in Section 14.5 to provide further insights into community and stakeholder identified impacts and opportunities associated with the Project and how these might be addressed through ongoing social impact management planning and monitoring. Boundary Hill South Environmental Impact Statement 14-2 Data limitations The social baseline has been produced primarily using data sourced from ABS Census data. For the purposes of reporting this data in this baseline report, the Shire of Banana is represented by the Banana LGA, while Biloela is represented by the Biloela Statistical Area level 2 (SA2). Data has also been sourced from the OESR and other relevant data sources as required. The statistical boundaries for Biloela changed between the 2006 and 2011 Census years. Given the relatively small population size, a comparison between the data from 2006 and 2011 has not been undertaken for the Biloela Census data. Whilst a Census boundary change also occurred for the Banana LGA, the areas have been deemed similar enough, and the population large enough, for data comparisons between 2006 and 2011 to be made. Where 2011 Census data is not yet available, 2006 Census data has been used. Limitations exist as a result of small sample sizes for particular areas and indicators. This is particularly relevant when analysing data related to SA2. Care has been taken to ensure that, where possible, data that has been utilised is statistically significant and robust when drawing conclusions from data for the SA2 area. Figure 14-1 shows a map of the geographic boundaries of the statistical areas used in this report. 14.3.3 Stakeholder Engagement A process for stakeholder engagement was developed for the Project, consistent with national and international good practice. Callide Mine has engaged with interested and affected parties since the Project’s inception to discuss the Project, and to identify and respond to issues and concerns regarding social impact. The process for stakeholder engagement is detailed in the following section. 14.3.3.1 Stakeholder Identification As Burdge (2004) outlines, stakeholders may be affected groups or individuals that: - live near the resource / Project; - have an interest in the proposed action or change; - use or value a resource; - are interested in its use; and/or - are forced to relocate. The Project SIA identified