In Mackay Behind the Scenes, However, Mr Sedgman Australia and We Cannot Execute This Project Operations and Marketing Capabilities
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Darren Sekac* *Personal Injuries Law Accredited Specialist (MACKAY) Call 4944 2000 www.macamiet.com.au MACKAY Shift Miner Magazine CONTENTS NEWS 4 Rural revolt over Galilee rail 5 Low-cost era sees surge in rebuilds 6 Layoffs a bitter 10 pill for workers 7 Moranbah miner flies to Brissy and back to work locally 8 Meteor mine ready for take-off 9 CSG to rewrite 5 11 property values 10 Gladstone says 20 no to port sale 11 Equipment suppliers see some green shoots R EGULARS 19 16 Stuff to the Editor 17 Frank the Tank 18 Miners Trader 19 Off Shift 20 Sport Queensland mining community's best source of local news Phone: (07) 4921 4333 Fax: (07) 4922 6908 [email protected] Editor: Inga Stünzner Advertising: Angus Peacocke 0428 154 653 SHIFT MINER Published fortnightly by Fitzroy Publishing Pty Ltd Locally Owned A.B.N 72122739879 PO Box 1440, Rockhampton Q 4700 and Operated MAGAZINE www.shiftminer.com Invoice Today & Get Paid Today!* Yes, there is an alternative to a business overdraft. 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Shift Miner Magazine www.shiftminer.com News They wouldn’t have a clue: QRC the coal industry, spearheaded Queensland’s environment by Greenpeace. minister is taking some The document was first positives from UNESCO’s leaked to the media in 2012 and deferral of a decision. outlined a plan to stop the coal “[This] gives Queensland a industry by attacking new port big tick and the work we are developments and engaging in doing a big tick,” said Mr Powell. time-consuming legal battles “The decision is also a win over new projects. for logic and science rather than Mr Roche said there was rhetoric and scaremongering.” no doubt environmental Mr Roche said the resources activists were to blame for sector and the Queensland whipping up an international government had now launched storm in a teacup. its own reef campaign. “My belief is the activists “Our message is fairly will work very hard to keep the boring; it’s based on facts of Sword of Damocles hanging science,” he said. over us, to require us to keep “The alternative story has coming back [to UNESCO] year pictures of nemos and dugongs COUNTRIES voicing concern and Germany raised concerns commitment in legislation.” after year,” he said. and turtles and implies that about the impact of Queensland about the impact of dredging at The QRC’s chief executive “It would suit their purpose to ports and mining are somehow port developments on the Great the Abbott Point coal terminal Michael Roche said the countries scare governments, which would going to place those wonderful Barrier Reef are mouthpieces expansion near Bowen. raising concerns had been slow down approvals for ports.” animals at risk. for environmental activists that The Australian delegation said briefed by the environmental Mr Roche said a yearly check- “We have a much harder don’t have a clue about the local it was just “sand and silt” and group WWF, which was also up on reef health was not needed. story to tell.” assessment process. rejected suggestions the assessment given the opportunity to address “The world has every right to In this war over hearts and That’s the frank assessment process was inadequate. the committee. ask how we are managing the minds, Mr Roche said an economic of the Queensland Resources “The truth is that the “They [concerned reef but such intense scrutiny argument also rang true. Council’s Michael Roche, as Queensland government has countries] had in front of every year is not particularly “The prospect of an ‘in Australia was given a 12-month completed significant work them WWF briefing notes constructive,” he said. danger’ listing for the reef would reprieve from UNESCO, which to address those concerns and they seemed not to want “We need to be judged be devastating for Australia’s has deferred a decision on and deliver on UNESCO’s to listen to the Australian on the longer term, not year reputation,” he said. whether to list the reef as “in recommendations,” said delegation,” said Mr Roche. to year, by countries who “We know that it would rattle danger” until next year. Mr Powell. “Countries that wouldn’t know very little about how government and regulators Queensland’s environment “We have significantly scaled have a clue about port and what we do and how we and we would therefore expect minister Andrew Powell back the development at Abbott development - let alone port operate and expand ports.” the clamps to come down on travelled to Doha, Qatar, last Point and imposed more than development in Queensland Australia has until June next development approvals. week to convince The United 140 conditions on the project. - are falling hook, line and year to complete its Reef 2050 “We can’t afford that scenario Nations’ world heritage “We have delivered our Ports sinker for their arguments.” Plan, which includes input from to play out so the resources committee the reef was Strategy, limiting development It might seem like a wild both the resources sector and sector has to be ultra careful being protected. to existing port areas for a conspiracy theory, except for environmental groups like WWF. about everything we do in terms However, several countries decade, and we have outlined the existence of a $6 million A draft plan will be ready for of development and its impact including Jamaica, Portugal our plans to enshrine that funding plan to shut down public comment in a few months. on the reef.” Buoyant - not booming Rural revolt over Galilee rail THE mood of exhibitors and visitors was probably best described as IT might have reduced in size by 94 per “The state development area covers of the line to better suit the property buoyant but not wildly optimistic at cent, but local graziers are up in arms 106,000 hectares and directly affects 74 operations, to better suit the flood the Surat Basin Energy and Mining about the newly declared Galilee Basin landholders, far less than the 1.8 million damage potential that will be caused by Expo in Toowoomba last week. state development area (SDA). hectares and 1400 landholders affected by placing the line across the flood plain. According to the event directory, How rail development should proceed in the draft plan,” he said. “We’ve had no further discussion around 250 businesses were on the region to link the thermal coal basin to “And there will be further reductions with mining proponents, the only input display, which puts it on par with the port has been a contentious issue for years. to come. Currently the SDA is around 500 we’ve had from government is our expo in previous years. Back in 2011, there were five companies metres wide, however once more detailed rail opportunity to place a submission, we’ve However, speaking to exhibitors, vying to build six lines that criss-crossed line designs are finalised and approved by had no feedback from government. it seems the Surat Basin is not hundreds of kilometres of pastoral land. the Coordinator General, the rail corridor will “It’s a frustrating annoying position to be immune from the pessimism currently Dozens of landholders have been be reduced to about 60 to 100 metres wide.” in where we feel we have some valuable input enveloping the Bowen Basin. privately negotiating with individual However, graziers feel they have for both parties. We’re not being listened to The combined effects of the coal mining downturn, and nervousness mining companies to sort of out been left in the dark for too long, and and haven’t been for the last five years.” about ongoing work after the main complicated compensation agreements for the declaration does little provide Meanwhile, the federal construction phase in the CSG sector a number of years. certainty for the future. environment minister Greg Hunt is on people’s minds. Now, the state government has acted to Clermont grazier John Burnett from the has delayed his decision on whether Exhibitors have also been put an end to some of that uncertainty. Corridor to Coast group said landholders Adani’s massive Carmichael coal diversifying in the last 12 months, Two rail corridors totalling 690 still don’t know how the new SDA will project and associated railway will both in terms of what they are kilometres - one from the southern and affect negotiations with mining companies. get the go ahead in the region. offering the market and how far one from the central end of the Galilee “For the last 12 months we’ve heard nothing The minister had extended his afield they are prepared to travel to Basin - have been declared. from those proponents,” he told the ABC. deadline until August 1 in order to keep the cash flow going. Deputy premier Jeff Seeney said the “We’ve had no further negotiation on consider the large volume of material The event runs for two days.