Muswellbrook Shire Council has reaffirmed its strong support for the continuation of Hunter Valley Operations, warning that ending major mining operations early, before replacement industries and jobs are established, would have significant consequences for the Hunter economy.
Council believes the HVO Continuation Project should be determined on the merits of the application before the Independent Planning Commission. Muswellbrook Mayor Jeff Drayton said the region was actively preparing for a more diverse economic future, but that the pace of new investment needed to accelerate.
“We absolutely support the development of new industries and new employment opportunities across the Hunter, and Council has been actively working to attract investment and position our Shire for the industries and jobs of the future,” Mayor Drayton said.
“But we must be realistic about where we are today. The investment is not happening quickly enough for major existing industries to be brought to an early end without significant consequences for workers, families, businesses and the broader regional economy.”
Mayor Drayton said governments needed to match expectations for economic diversification with action to make regional communities more attractive to invest in, including removing barriers to investment and fast-tracking enabling infrastructure and approvals. He warned that if skilled workers, established supply chains and strong local communities were lost, rebuilding them would be extremely difficult, making it harder to attract new industries in future.
“The decisions being made now about HVO and other major mining operations will have very real consequences for workers, local businesses, contractors, suppliers and families across Muswellbrook Shire and the broader Hunter,” Mayor Drayton said.
The calls comes as the Independent Planninc Commision have delayed their decision by four weeks, and have asked Glencore and Yancoal for information relating to transition timelines.
