The Mining and Energy Union has voiced strong support for the Hunter Valley Operations Continuation Project, telling an Independent Planning Commission hearing the extension is critical to job security across the Upper Hunter.
Robin Williams, district president of the union’s Northern Mining and NSW Energy District, said more than 1,500 workers’ jobs depend directly on HVO, alongside contractors, suppliers and the wider economies of towns including Muswellbrook and Singleton. He said the region was already bracing for major change, with Mount Arthur mine due to close in 2030 and Mangoola to follow.
Williams told the Commission the closure of HVO without a replacement industry ready to absorb workers would compound that disruption. He said approval of the project would provide continuity of employment while alternative industries were developed, and would deliver substantial royalties to the state to help fund schools, hospitals and roads.
“It is much harder when your mortgage, your apprenticeship, your small business or your family’s future depends on these jobs,” Williams told the hearing, arguing that decisions to oppose new mining projects were often made by people who did not live with the consequences.
“It’s really important that we get those new industries in these areas. Otherwise, we’re not going to have towns in Singleton, Muswellbrook, Denman, or Scone. They’ll be decimated.”
The Independent Planning Commission’s assessment of the Hunter Valley Operations Continuation Project continues. Day three of hearings will be held online on Wednesday, with a report expected in September.
