THE State Government has welcomed the Standing Committee on State Development’s report into beneficial and productive post-mining land use, supporting all of its 13 recommendations.
In a statement last week, the Government stated it is “committed to supporting coal-producing communities as the demand for coal declines over time”.
The Future Jobs and Investment Authority, in partnership with other agencies, will:
● review potential mine sites and existing infrastructure for new employment-generating land use and retention of infrastructure (Recommendations 2 and 13)
● adopt a place-based approach to support coal regions through four local divisions (Recommendation 3)
● work across government and stakeholders to lead and facilitate in four coal mining regions (Recommendation 5)
● work with mine operators, councils and the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure to identify opportunities for new land uses on mining land (Recommendation 6)
● deliver a skills audit of the mining workforce in partnership with government and stakeholders (to deliver on Recommendation 7).
Several of the recommendations will also be delivered through ongoing work by NSW Resources, including to:
● deliver effective rehabilitation outcomes and ensuring appropriate security is held to cover rehabilitation by reviewing and updating the Rehabilitation Cost Estimate tool (Recommendation 4)
● promote best practice mine rehabilitation techniques for sustainable outcomes and post-mining land use innovation (Recommendations 11 and 12).
The Government thanked the committee and the many individuals and organisations who made written submissions and gave evidence at the hearings.
Minister for Natural Resources Courtney Houssos said, “I thank the Standing Committee on State Development led by Emily Suvaal MLC for their important work during this inquiry.
“Mining is ultimately a temporary use of land,” she said.
“We need to make sure NSW has the right policy mix to keep employment and economic opportunities even after coal mining ends on those sites.
“Coal mines have energy, water and transport infrastructure ready to use – and it just makes sense to use existing infrastructure to support new jobs in the same communities.
“We need to find ways to have these sites, which support jobs for generations, continue to provide employment opportunities for communities.”
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