Fox CEO meets with Bundaberg miners in community engagement effort
A Bundaberg miner who met with Fox Resources CEO Bruce Garlick on his recent trip to the city says there are many misconceptions about the proposed coal mine held by its opponents.
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Fox Resources has met with mine workers in Bundaberg to drive messaging about the potential benefits of its proposed coal mine to the local economy, which premier Steven Miles said would be subject to strict environment approvals.
The Western Australia mining exploration company held the first meeting of its regional reference group at the Burnett Riverside Hotel on Thursday, March 21, attended by agricultural representatives Allan Dingle and Mark Pressler, businesspeople Zak Menhennett and Debbie Barnham and Queensland district president of the mining and energy union Mitch Hughes.
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Chaired by Fox Resources CEO Bruce Garlick, the majority of the meeting involved a presentation from consulting geologist and hydrogeologist David Dempster, which addressed concerns about the impact of the mine on groundwater supplying agriculture in north Bundaberg.
Mr Garlick said the presentation generated a healthy discussion including input from Mr Dingle, who is chairman of the Coastal Burnett Groundwater Management Area Advisory Committee.
“The big thing for me was just to introduce each other, but second to get David talking,” Mr Garlick said.
“David spent most of the time discussing his presentation, showing them that they’re not going to be affected ... and there were questions around that.”
The thrust of Mr Dempster’s presentation was that, if its mining development application was successful, resource department regulations would prevent the mine from causing adverse impacts on surrounding communities and agriculture from coal dust and groundwater pollution.
“People don’t understand that companies have an obligation to do the right thing,” Mr Garlick said.
Speaking at a Bundaberg press conference on Tuesday, Premier Steven Miles said he would ensure that all relevant criteria in place to protect the environment would be invoked when assessing Fox Resources’ application.
“They are entitled to go through the process of applying and being considered,” he said.
“But they should also know that Queensland has some of the most strict conditions and considerations when it comes to environmental approvals, and I am determined to make sure they are all applied in this case.”
Bundaberg region farming advocate Judy Plath, who has been a vocal opponent of the Fox Resources proposal, said regardless of government regulations local growers would inevitably be worse off in any arrangement where the coal mine existed alongside agriculture in the region.
“We only need to look at other regions of Australia where farmers are expected to ‘co-exist’ with mining to see that farmers always lose out,” she said.
“Industrial activities on the doorstep of high value agriculture is a recipe for disaster and poses a very serious threat to the economic and social fabric of our region.
“For Fox Resources to imply that farmers can co-exist with their industrial mining plans and that coal dust won’t pose a contamination risk to our locally grown fresh produce is self-serving and arrogant.”
Mr Garlick said opposition from local politicians was failing to take into account the 200 jobs Fox Resources says the project will bring to the region, and the mining royalties which would be paid to the government that he said would help to fund the new Bundaberg Hospital.
LNP Member for Burnett Stephen Bennett and ALP Member for Bundaberg Tom Smith have both voiced their opposition to the proposed coal mine, with Mr Smith on Tuesday affirming his opposition to the mine given the risks to local agriculture, horticulture and manufacturing.
“Honestly, if I was an MP ... I’d be saying, ‘how can I help this guy?’, ‘how can I help him prove that he’s not going to destroy the environment and the water?’, ‘how can I go through government and try and get this thing fast tracked so that we can have a hospital, we can have 200 jobs?’,” Mr Garlick said.
Following the inaugural RRG meeting, Mr Garlick hosted lunch at Bundaberg’s Club Hotel on Friday with local mining workers who were supportive of the project for the employment opportunities it would provide, avoiding the need to travel away from home to work in mines outside the region.
One of the people who attended, experienced miner Mark Laslett, said the meeting was an “informal catch-up” in which Mr Garlick gave an overview of his visit to Bundaberg.
Reiterating Mr Garlick’s point about the state-imposed restrictions on coal mine operators, Mr Laslett said opponents to the mine didn’t have sufficient understanding of the guidelines in place to protect the environment from the impacts of mining.
“There’s a lot of misconceptions out there, and I think people’s hearts are in the right place,” Mr Laslett said.
“But ...the process a mining company has got to go through ...just to start a mine is just incredible.
“And what a lot of people don’t understand is ... they have to meet the stringent requirements that the government sets out.
“And if they don’t, they’re fined extensively and have the potential to lose their lease.”
Mr Laslett said he had spoken to many potential contractors for the coal mine project that were hoping the mining development application was approved.
“I’ve spoken to a lot of tradesmen recently and they’re all for it because they believe that it’d be fabulous for the town,” he said.
“It’ll offer heaps of work and the flow-on effects will be great; people will have more money, and they’ll be able to spend more money (locally).”
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Many coal miners currently living in Moore Park Beach, close to the location of the proposed mine, would have an improved lifestyle from working close to home, Mr Laslett said.
“There are a few people in Moore Park that drive in and out of the coal mines now. Nothing has been said about them,” he said.
“I know I’d rather be driving in and out of Moore Park to go to work than driving up to Moranbah.
“And you’re home every night with your family ... so the benefits of having a home grown mine far outweigh having to leave your family and fly away.”
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