MARKETS

Rio Tinto coal chief warns Hunter Valley on jobs

RIO Tinto Coal Australia managing director Chris Salisbury has warned the 1300 hundred workers at...

Lou Caruana
Rio Tinto coal chief warns Hunter Valley on jobs

Speaking after the release of independent research that found more than 64% of the 551 Singleton residents who took part in a regional survey supported the continuation of mining at Mount Thorley Warkworth, Salisbury said the results demonstrated that the local community supported the mine, with the jobs and economic benefits it provided.

“People living in the region believe there will be real impacts for the Hunter Valley unless government approvals are granted so Mount Thorley Warkworth can continue providing jobs and creating work for other businesses,” he said.

“Last year the mine spent more than $180 million with local businesses across the four Local Government Areas where the poll was undertaken.”

The research showed two-thirds of people were very concerned about recent job losses in the Hunter Valley mining industry.

“We need urgent approval to secure a long term future for this mine, its workers, and the community,” he said.

The same survey found that more than 91 percent of people in Singleton believe that coal mining is important to the prosperity of the Hunter region.

Support for the mining industry remains high, with 73% supportive.

A ReachTel survey of 2206 residents across Singleton, Maitland, Cessnock and Muswellbrook LGAs found the majority expected that a failure to grant approvals to Mount Thorley Warkworth would have a negative impact on the local economy.

Rio Tinto subsidiary Coal & Allied is seeking approvals to continue operating Mount Thorley Warkworth mine until approximately 2035.

TOPICS:

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

editions

ESG Mining Company Index: Benchmarking the Future of Sustainable Mining

The ESG Mining Company Index report provides an in-depth evaluation of ESG performance of 61 of the world's largest mining companies. Using a robust framework, it assesses each company across 9 meticulously weighted indicators within 6 essential pillars.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Exploration Report 2024 (feat. Opaxe data)

A comprehensive review of exploration trends and technologies, highlighting the best intercepts and discoveries and the latest initial resource estimates.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Future Fleets Report 2024

The report paints a picture of the equipment landscape and includes detailed profiles of mines that are employing these fleets

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Digitalisation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations that use digitalisation technology to drive improvements across all areas of mining production