THE Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has welcomed the Morrison Government’s announcement of a Productivity Commission review into streamlining regulation in the resources sector, with a view to cutting red tape but maintaining the highest standards.

“Every new investment in the resources sector means more jobs for Queenslanders,” QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said.

“The Queensland resources sector employs more than 315,000 Queenslanders both in direct jobs and supporting industries, and it is paying more than $5.2 billion in royalty taxes to the State Government this year alone. More than 80 per cent of our exports come from the resources sector.

“Those returns benefit all Queenslanders.  But our future prosperity relies on attracting new projects and new investments.

“We think it is especially important that the review focuses on post approval time lines, and eliminating avenues for lawfare whereby activists and protestors attempt to hold up properly approved projects through court delays.

“According to the Queensland Major Projects Pipeline Report, around $2 billion of resource projects are currently under construction with a further $19 billion in the pipeline to 2022-23," Mr Macfarlane said.

“Queensland cannot take future investment for granted.  The most recent report from the Fraser Institute on investment attractiveness showed Queensland had fallen to 13th place on the global rankings.

“Queensland already has world leading environmental rehabilitation laws.  By ensuring appropriate regulation, without unnecessary red tape, Queensland has every reason to be at the front of the pack for Australia and the world when it comes to creating jobs and exporting our high quality resources. This review will be a vital step in ensuring we deliver on that potential," he said.

“QRC looks forward to participating in the Productivity Commission review.”

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AN INTERNAL Essential Energy document — obtained by the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) — has revealed that the NSW Government-owned company that operates the electricity poles and wires across 95 percent of NSW is planning to slash one in five regional positions by 2024.

According to the ETU, the cuts will see an additional 500 workers lose their jobs on top of the 182 that Essential Energy last month announced would be cut from their workforce this year.

The Electrical Trades Union said the latest revelation highlighted the importance of urgent political action to develop a practical plan to save these jobs across regional NSW.

Since 2012, the workforce at Essential Energy has nearly halved as more than 2,000 jobs have been lost, drastically reducing the number of skilled front-line workers available to respond to blackouts, storm damage, or other major incidents.

ETU secretary Justin Page said the union was alarmed by the revelation that the current round of job cuts were just the beginning, with one in five workers at risk of losing their jobs in the coming years.

“Essential Energy has already been cut to the bone, we’ve seen the workforce almost halved in recent years and dozens of depots shut, so to discover that hundreds more jobs are on the line is alarming,” Mr Page said.

“With one in every five workers facing the chop, there is no question that regional communities will be devastated and service delivery will be greatly impacted.

“For towns already struggling with drought, the loss of these skilled jobs — forcing many families to move away — will have devastating flow-on effects on the local economy.”

The union has written to Essential Energy CEO John Cleland outlining a series of proposals that provide alternatives to  job losses. These include:

• The insourcing of work currently contracted out — as other NSW electricity distributors have done — including pole replacements, service wire replacements, street lighting maintenance, vegetation management, yard maintenance, and information and communications technology (ICT) functions;
• Entry into the contestable metering market, given Essential Energy workers already possess the required skill sets; and
• Entry into the renewable energy market, given the significant amount of renewable projects being constructed across regional NSW.

The ETU has also provided a written briefing to NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro outlining alternatives to job cuts.

“Our members have been extremely grateful for the supportive comments made by Mr Barilaro and many of his National Party colleagues, but those words need to be followed up with tangible actions if we’re going to save these jobs,” Mr Page said.

“We believe there are viable options available to Essential Energy that can avoid these cuts, but they will require a united effort from the company, workers, their unions, the broader community, and elected representatives if we are going to save these jobs.

“We also want to work with the NSW Government to find a longer-term solution to the current system where the Australian Energy Regulator imposes arbitrary and draconian budget cuts, with little regard for the impacts on workers or their local communities.”

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MAJOR free trade agreements with Hong Kong and Indonesia will be considered by Parliament’s Treaties Committee in coming weeks.

“We have vital trade and commercial interests at stake with Indonesia and Hong Kong, and these agreements will help Australian business capitalise fully on these commercial relationships,” said Committee chair and Member for Wentworth, Dave Sharma MP.

Both agreements were signed several months ago, and tabled just before the Parliament dissolved prior to the federal election in May. Neither agreement will enter into force until the Committee has had the opportunity to review and report.

“This is the first opportunity the Committee has had to look at these treaties since they were signed,” said Mr Sharma, “and given the passage of time, we hope to hear from people as soon as possible”.

Submissions for both inquiries close on August 23, 2019. 

Further details on venues and dates for the public hearings will be available on the Committee’s website as they are finalised.

For more information about this Committee, visit its website.

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THE Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has welcomed the Palaszczuk Government’s release of new areas for coal exploration in Central Queensland.

QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said the opening of tenders in the five prospective areas was a vital step in ensuring the resources sector continues to benefit regional communities.

“Queensland’s resources sector is our state’s heavy lifter.  This year the resources sector will pay $5.2 billion in royalty taxes to the Queensland Government and supports more than 315,000 jobs across the state both directly at mines and in regional communities,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“The most recent unemployment figures showed Queensland’s resources regions have unemployment rates that are lower than the state average of 6.1 percent.

“The jobs and royalty taxes the resources sector is delivering now are the result of exploration, investment and planning in the past.

“The release of five areas and 147 sub-blocks near Moranbah, Blackwater and Emerald with the potential for both metallurgical and thermal coal will help ensure Queensland continues to play to its strengths.

“Combined metallurgical and thermal coal are Queensland’s largest export commodity.  The value of those exports increased by 12 percent to almost $37 billion over the 12 months until the end of May this year. Coal exports earn Queensland more than $100 million every day.

“Our high-quality resources are in demand in global markets. Through exploration and investment Queensland can continue to be a world-leader in the resources sector.”

www.qrc.org.au

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