John Cobb (Calare, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the Lithgow Springvale mine, where over 300 workers will bear the brunt of a final decision not being handed down to extend the project. This is not a new mine; this is an extension of operations of an existing and quite old mine.

On Friday, Centennial Coal's licence to mine at Lithgow will expire, resulting in some hundreds of workers being stood down. Over the past three years these workers have faced uncertainty while the assessment process continues. Of course we must have rigorous assessment processes in place. However, today I want the parliament and the people that are causing a lot of this process to take place to be aware of what it means to those on the front line.

The Springvale mine employs well over 300 people, and tomorrow 218 of them will be stood down. Ninety-eight of these workers have over eight weeks annual leave, while 255 have less than six weeks and some less than two weeks. At this time they face an unspecified amount of time without work and in some cases without payment. We have to acknowledge the hardship this has produced.

Last Friday a community meeting was held in Lithgow, and many of those present were miners. There were hundreds there, probably 400. As I walked around the room, it was clear that many of them were not miners; they were members of the Lithgow community. This is a strong community showing its support. In regional communities we do stick together. You realise that this is not just about those who work at the mine; it has an effect on the whole community. The meeting acted as an opportunity for our community to have their voice heard. They spoke with passion and they showed real concern for the future of their colleagues and the future of the region. While we must ensure the correct planning processes are adhered to, we must not forget the reality of what over 300 jobs mean to a community and to the central west.

I brought Maree Stratham, the mayor of Lithgow, Ray Brown, the deputy mayor, and the general manager to meet with the Minister for the Environment, Greg Hunt. He was able to assure them—and we expect it—that a good decision will be handed down for sign-off by the federal government. Due to the fact that we came to office with a one-stop-shop policy, the state government is able and has been able to do the work required by the federal government so that there will be minimal—and I mean minimal—hold-up on the decision once it reaches the federal government.

Lithgow is a place where, for over 200 years and especially over the last 100 years, what we do in that part of the world is mine coal. We do create energy. We do have power stations. We do have forestry. We do have agriculture. We do have the Lithgow Small Arms Factory. Those who would cause the state government to have to dot every 'i' and cross every 't' to prevent people from making objections in court and tying up these things for years has meant that the state government has to go through an incredible process to prevent that from happening. What I say to them is: if you don't like mining, if you don't like agriculture, if you don't like forestry, if you don't like power generation or if you don't like the Small Arms Factory, don't come and live in our region. Just don't come there. And don't stand outside it, trying to cause every bit of trouble you can. When you put 300 people's jobs on the line, you put a community on the line. We do not need this. It is not even a new project. It is a continuation of an existing one. Everything has been done right. I just wish that people who are not in our community but are outside it would stop trying to cause every possible legal disruption to industry, employment and production that they can.