Acting Mayor Welcomes Olive Downs Announcement

Isaac Regional Council has welcomed today’s approval of the $1 billion Olive Downs coal project.

“This is an absolute vote of confidence in the future of coal-mining in Queensland and in our Isaac Region in particular,” Acting Mayor Kelly Vea Vea said.

“There is a lot of discussion about the future of coal – and of course demand and prices will always fluctuate – but investments like this show it has a strong long-term future.

“The Isaac Region already has half the coal mines in Queensland and produces at least half of the approximately $4 billion a year in coal royalties that go to the Queensland Government.”

Cr Vea Vea said Olive Downs Mine is the first mine in Queensland to be assessed under the Strong Sustainable Resource Communities (SSRC) Act.

“It’s the first mine to have legislated social conditions to ensure the project not only minimises impacts on communities but maximises benefits and opportunities to regions.

“The SSRC Act is about conditioning projects of state significance so that communities and regions hosting large-scale economic growth should not be experiencing social health and well-being, and the liveability decline.

“Our communities fought long and hard for this legislation and our Council has played a key role in helping build it.

“Now, we get to put rubber to road and see if it does what it’s designed to do: create opportunities and benefits for communities hosting large-scale projects, and not be locked into destructive workforce arrangements.

“We have worked hard with State Government and Pembroke Resources to make sure Olive Downs Mine will not only hire permanent workers from our regions, but also facilitate the opportunity for them to relocate

if they want to.

“The Olive Downs project should mean secure jobs and income for our region, State and nation for decades to come.”

Published: 29th September 2020