New Acland Mine extension delivers $1bn adrenaline shot, 600 jobs for local economy

Twelve long years in the making, the approval of the controversial New Acland Mine extension means a region where the unemployment rate is around 5.5 per cent is about to receive a $1bn adrenaline shot into the economy with 600 jobs on offer.

It all comes down to a rapid increase in the sale of sausage rolls, or to someone paying a $500-a-month paint bill at the hardware store or to a self-employed electrician stocking up on circuit boards at a local distributor.

The approval of Acland Coal Mine’s Stage Three at Oakey near Toowoomba comes down to an 18-year-old apprentice suddenly realising he’s getting the hang of lathe work, and allowing himself to dream of those six-figure salaries that within a few short years will be within his reach, or a middle-aged, unemployed wash plant operator getting a new lease of life because he knows the industry has a place for him once again.

The approval means coal mining, which has been part of the Oakey story since Federation, is coming back to life right now as men and women are hired on generous, six-figure salaries and the construction teams begin the groundwork to allow the heavy earthmoving equipment fire back up on the coal face.

Twelve long years in the making, the approval means a region where the unemployment rate is around 5.5 per cent compared to a state average of 4.6 per cent, and where the youth jobless rate hovers at over 7.5 per cent, is about to receive a $1bn adrenaline shot into the economy with 600 mining jobs on offer.

Dave O’Dwyer, General Manager of the New Acland Mine. Pic Mark Cranitch.

This district west of Brisbane also has the promise of traineeships and apprenticeships for hundreds of youths over the next 12 to 15 years, along with an exhaustive list of specialised chores for thousands of eager contractors.

The optimism is already sweeping through the Oakey community which, for more than three years, has watched a key employer stagnate in a sea of red and green tape, all overshadowed by a bout of environmental lawfare which became so intense it reached Australia’s High Court.

The legal contest still rumbles beneath the surface, even as the mine received that crucial nod of approval for the Associated Water Licence on October 20 (along with 35 strict conditions).

Perhaps even more crucial than the water licence was that long-awaited imprimatur from Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk who, after years of equivocation amid the courtroom battles between mine owner New Hope Group and the Oakey Coal Action Alliance, made it crystal clear that this project was welcomed by her government.

“I’m very pleased to see that all of those approvals now have been given,” the Premier said in late October following the water licence approval.

“The project … means a lot of jobs to the Toowoomba economy, and as my government said, we would wait for the outcome of the court cases.”

Aerial of the mine. Pic Mark Cranitch.

New Acland Mine general manager, Dave O’Dwyer, allowed himself a sigh of relief then wasted no time in getting the next chapter in the story of a century-old mining precinct under way, even as he admits the management team sometimes had a tough battle in remaining positive over the last three years.

O’Dwyer watched on in dismay in 2019 as about half of a tight-knit, 300-strong workforce were let go as New Hope sank deeper into the mire of a battle which a few onlookers had begun to suspect the company could not hope to win.

The prized workers continued disappearing in the years following, moving on to more stable mining precincts such as the Mackay and Rockhampton hinterland while others stayed on the Downs and returned to their farming life, or simply got new jobs in another industry.

“A real problem is that a lot of the skills we lost were site-specific,’’ O’Dwyer said, referring to people such as bulldozer operators who had developed the knack of expertly shifting those vast coal seams which exist between thin layers of sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.

But O’Dwyer is confident of getting much of the band back together.

Mark Beckman from Qube. Pic Mark Cranitch.

Stage three offers an attractive proposition for many families who he believes appreciate a mining job far removed from the fly-in-fly-out operations which now dominate the industry.

“The mine has always been very much part of the community. We contribute to the community, support the community and the community generally supports us,’’ he said.

That commitment even continued as the mine languished, with New Hope recently providing $350,000 to the Oakey PCYC to give at-risk local youth a pathway away from crime.

The intense local interest in the jobs such as truck drivers, engineers, electricians, operators, administration staff and mechanics is reflected in the company’s latest stats.

To date there have been 1064 expressions of interest for roles at the mine with 667 expressions of interest coming specifically from the Darling Downs.

At the peak of construction, there will be close to 600 local workers on site in the 12 to 15- year life of the project while the permanent workforce will incorporate 400 full-time roles.

Men like Mark Beckman, Acland manager at national transport and logistics conglomerate Qube Bulk, will be on the hunt for even more workers as he begins rebuilding his outfit which for more than 20 years has collected, sorted and transported the coal from the mine site.

Vicki Reeves – bakery owner. Pic Mark Cranitch.

A few years ago, between 60 and 80 workers were earning their living at his depot – today the wind whistles through the largely empty sheds.

“I think there’s two of us here today,’’ Beckman says as he walks around the empty site which, he now knows, will be roaring with activity when the construction stage at Acland is complete, and the coal comes pouring out of the mine.

On a picturesque farm with century-old buildings at nearby Biddeston, Clint and Fiona Ireland have established an engineering business which developed strong links with Acland over the years.

“We like working with them (New Hope) because they do have real integrity,’’ says Fiona.

Husband Clint, a boilermaker by trade but capable of turning his hand to any job, points to a tray on a mining utility which represents just a sample of the work that will become increasingly available to him in the year ahead.

“The mines might buy the truck or the ute but then they need to modify it, and that’s where I come in,’’ he explains.

“The ROPS (Rollover Protection Systems) have to be installed right to the mine’s specifications and then you have the tool boxes that need to be installed underneath the tray and proper lights and aerials,’’ he says.

“And on top of that you need an engineer to give official approval to the ROP, which means more work for the engineer.’’

Audio monitoring equipment near the mine. Pic Mark Cranitch.

Clint can accept damaged parts from heavy machinery, repair them, blast them, paint them and even send them into town to a bloke he knows who will replace the stickers on signage if needed.

“When things were busy a few years back I used to have a paint bill that ran into the hundreds of dollars every month,’’ he says.

Back in Campbell St, Oakey, Vicki Reeves (pictured far left) at Great Country Pies, one of two bakeries she owns in town, gives a junior trainee working behind the counter a hug and declares Acland’s new project will bring back those hungry tradies who only a few years ago were loading up on pies and sausage rolls.

“It also means we can give more jobs to these beautiful people,” she says.

Vicki already provides up to eight local youths with some form of employment, be it school-based apprenticeships or just after-school work.

But her knowledge of the increased revenue the mine’s approval brings means she can plan on expanding her workforce, giving youths valuable experience in the retail industry.

“They used to come in all the time a few years back,’’ she says of the miners.

“They might spend $10 or even $15 each.

“They were regulars, and even though they were not the main part of the business they were a valuable part of it – you could depend on them.’’

To Dave Cooper, vice-president of the local chamber of commerce, the return of Acland is a godsend, a ready remedy to the growing number of shuttered businesses that he sees in his town.

Three years of uncertainty are coming to an end, the future brightens and almost anyone with a desire to work hard and get ahead can see a window of opportunity rapidly opening before them.

“This changes everything,’’ he says.

Originally published as New Acland Mine extension delivers $1bn adrenaline shot, 600 jobs for local economy