QRC welcomes Rio Tinto’s Amrun achievement

THE Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has welcomed the completion of Rio Tinto’s $2.6 billion Amrun bauxite mine project on the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland. 

QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said not only was the mine completed under budget and ahead of schedule but it was a leading example of a resource company working with local communities and suppliers.

“Rio Tinto is a significant employer of Indigenous Australians on the Cape York Peninsula and has invested $2.2 billion with local, State and national businesses,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“The world is hungry for Queensland’s resources, especially bauxite and Amrun adds to the State’s diversification story in commodities.

“Bauxite is one of the building blocks of the modern economy, used to produce aluminium, which goes into everything from soft drink cans in your fridge to frames for solar panels on your roof.”

QRC’s own economic data for the 2017-18 financial year showed the resources sector is a significant investor in the state’s economy and local communities.

“From Toowoomba to Weipa the resources sector contributed to 1,260 community organisations which is an increase of 38 percent on the previous year and in the Far North region the sector contributed $959 million to the economy and supported 6,291 full time jobs,” Mr Macfarlane said.

QRC is the peak representative body for Queensland ‘s resource sector. The Queensland resources sector provides one in every five dollars in the Queensland economy, sustains one in eight Queensland jobs, and supports more than 14,200 businesses across the State, all from 0.1 percent of Queensland’s land mass.

www.qrc.org.au

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