Adani wants Mackay workers in jobs mix
I've come away from a meeting with Adani representatives in Brisbane this morning heartened by assurances that up to 1000 jobs will come on line by mid-year and Mackay workers will be actively encouraged to apply.There are 1000 jobs in the mix as Adani moves into pre-construction work later this year and these jobs will be advertised directly in Mackay as well as regionally, and Mackay workers will be encouraged to apply for these jobs.I met with a key spokesperson for Adani in Brisbane this morning to lobby them for a greater commitment to assist Mackay regional residents being to apply for positions that may become available with their mine and associated works.These jobs will be in fields such as earthworks, fencing, building dams; all that is required for setting up the basic infrastructure for the mine site.There will also be construction jobs associated with the rail line from the Galilee Basin mine to the port of Abbot Point.These construction jobs will go on for two and a half years, so the employment prospects for workers are imminent and significant.
Hollow boast from Labor candidate
Labor’s claim on approving the Carmichael Mine (Bowen Independent, 6/4/16, P8) is a hollow boast, considering Labor are still holding up the approval of the Abbot Point port expansion.The Labor Party ran a half page ad for their candidate in the upcoming federal election but what they failed to mention was they’re still yet to approve the Abbot Point port expansion.In fact Labor’s State Environment Minister Steven Miles is on the record stating he will not issue the Abbot Port approval until Adani has the finance for the project.
Training facility benefits Whitsunday workers
AN Airlie Beach business is poised to provide the specialised training which will be needed for the construction industry when the Adani Carmichael Coal Project gets the final go-ahead.I visited Whitsunday Construction Training last week and met operators Peter and Diana Utber.They are providing a business service to ensure Whitsundays locals get jobs when Abbot Point and the Carmichael mine come on track.Any worker who wants to upskill and get training in high risk construction, which are the skills which will be needed when the Adani mine, rail and port project gets the final go-ahead, will be able to get that training right here in the Whitsundays, and that will save them precious time and money.
Adani needs patience of saint to wait for state
NOT only is the Queensland Labor Government dilly-dallying on the approval of a mining lease for the Carmichael Mine, but there is a swag of other approvals pending which are holding up progress on the massive job-creating project.A major developer needs the patience of a saint when dealing with the Palaszczuk Government and quite frankly it’s ridiculous.It’s not like this combined mine, rail and port project hit the in-trays yesterday; it’s been going on for years.
People of Bowen have their say
THE people of Bowen will finally have their say tomorrow on the actions of extreme green groups and their job-destroying tactics.A public hearing being conducted by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment will provide an opportunity for business owners, business groups and individuals to give their side of the story on issues such as the development of Abbot Point.People in Bowen feel like they’re the political football when it comes to resources development in this country and they’ve had enough of it.
WWF dredges up more lies
WORLD Wildlife Fund (WWF) were called out during a hearing for the Register of Environmental Organisations in Canberra for using an image of dredging in Boston Harbor to create false impressions about the Abbot Point port expansion in North Queensland.I challenged WWF about an image used by the Fight For The Reef campaign (which is run by WWF in conjunction with the Australian Marine Conservation Society) in a social media promotion soliciting donations to their cause.The original photo could be found here on istockphoto*, run by Getty Images, where it is described as: “A dredge is making a part of Boston Harbor deeper so that it can handle different ships and boats. A big scoop pulling water a (sic) debris from the bottom clearing a way for progress.”
State holds up flow of jobs at Abbot Point
JOBS that would have been created at Abbot Point will be on hold this year because the State Labor Government continues to drag the chain on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the port expansion.I have been advised by Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt that the State government had not submitted an EIS for the port expansion despite State Mines Minister Anthony Lynham claiming on ABC radio today that the EIS had been lodged with the Commonwealth.This unacceptable delay by the State Labor government has cost jobs this year and these are jobs so desperately needed right now by communities across North Queensland such as Mackay, Bowen and Townsville.
Extreme green antics and the effects on Bowen
Bowen Chamber of Commerce president Bruce Hedditch reckons the Bowen community has had enough of the antics of green activists who sought to use the Abbot Point expansion project for their own ends. Here’s what he had to say:“The community is very upset with what’s happening with the delays. They’ve been going on for such a long time and we seem to be a political football when it comes to Abbot Point. This is not about Abbot Point - it relates purely to coal development.“They’re telling mistruths. It’s about time those people stepped aside; they’ve had a fair go with their objections to the development, and they’ve been defeated every time.
Pitt, stop your buck passing
I HAVE just one simple question for State Labor Government ministers who can’t seem to get their stories straight as they play the blame game on the approvals process for Adani’s massive mine, rail and port project.Gentlemen, can you rehearse your lines, but most importantly, where is the Environmental Impact Statement?”Yesterday the Queensland Labor Treasurer Curtis Pitt wanted to lay the blame for approval delays on the Federal Government, while the office of his Mines Minister Dr Anthony Lynham confirmed that the State Coordinator-General was still assessing Adani’s further application for port facilities at Abbot Point and a number of rail-related applications.
Jobs a step closer but wait for green bleating
It's good to hear that the State Labor Government has today issued their referral for environmental assessment of the Abbot Point coal port expansion to the Federal Government.However we can now expect another avalanche of extreme green group opposition.The reality is we will now go through yet another public consultation period before the Abbott Government can begin the final assessment of the project.During this time every extreme Green group under the sun will come out of the woodwork to bag Abbot Point because this is the last throw of the dice for them in stopping the expansion from proceeding.