Queensland’s resources sector welcomes the successful joint bid by Santos GLNG and Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG) to explore for new natural gas resources in the Bowen Basin.

Queensland’s resources sector is powering jobs growth across the State with Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data showing an increase of close to 10,000 jobs in the February quarter.

Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has welcomed the new taskforce announced by the Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Senator Matt Canavan tasked with ensuring Australia’s resources sector remains internationally competitive.

A survey of 27 resources company chief executives has found half plan to spend more with local suppliers across regional Queensland in 2018 and none plan to spend less.

The Queensland resources sector is extremely disappointed by Aurizon’s move to pre-empt the regulatory process by moving to change its maintenance program before the QCA process is completed.

The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has congratulated Rio Tinto after its Indigenous workforce reached 574 across its Cape York bauxite sites in the Far North.

Statement by Ian Macfarlane, Chief Executive, Queensland Resources Council

The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) looks forward to working constructively with the new Turnbull Government Ministry and Cabinet. The new Cabinet sees Queensland well represented with three champions of regional communities.

Growth in Indigenous employment in the Queensland resources sector has outstripped growth across the total resources sector workforce, doubling in ten years.

Queensland’s resources sector continues to drive jobs and investment with a $55.1 billion contribution to the state’s economy in 2016-17, which supported the equivalent of 282,633 full-time jobs.

The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) is calling on the next State Government to be a strong voice for the sector and the 309,500 full-time employees it supports. QRC Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane said the resources industry underpins the economic prosperity of the state, and a government supporting the sector both inside and outside the Parliament would see more investment for regional economies.

The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has welcomed the action by Australia Pacific LNG to supply a further 41 petajoules (PJ) of natural gas to the Australian domestic market.

The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has welcomed the release of the Annual Exploration Program for 2017-18, which includes more than 19,000 square kilometres for gas, minerals and coal exploration.

The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) congratulates Minister Lynham on awarding Senex as the preferred tenderer for a Petroleum Lease in the Surat Basin.

Statement by QRC Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane on the review of the Workers’ Compensation Scheme

The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has thanked the Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations, the Hon Grace Grace, for her quick response in establishing the Stakeholder Reference Group to address compensation arrangements surrounding Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis (CWP).

QRC’s position, outlined to the Parliamentary Committee on the Workers’ Compensation Scheme this morning, broadly supports the recommendations of the Stakeholder Reference Group that all workers who contract CWP should receive fair compensation in a timely fashion, and retired workers or workers who had left the industry can have access to medical examinations at no cost.

QRC was one of the first bodies who advocated for the need for a review of the Workers’ Compensation Scheme and improvements in the scheme to deal adequately with all cases. In particular, the QRC recognised workers, who are diagnosed with early stages of CWP should be entitled to receive statutory compensation including circumstances where those workers are not suffering any permanent impairment or incapacity for work.

The Parliamentary Select Committee’s report into CWP released earlier this year represented a substantial body of work and the QRC acknowledges the committee’s open engagement with all parties and commends them for their professionalism in overseeing such a complex review.

The resources sector is completely supportive of, and has fully cooperated with Minister Lynham and the work of the Department of Natural Resources and Mines, including the implementation of the recommendations made in the Monash Review.

Meanwhile, coal companies have fully adopted all new regulations and have cooperated with the government in the design of significant improvements to the medical assessment process including lung function tests, spirometry testing and new standards to set out clear requirements for medical practitioners conducting tests.

The health and safety of workers is a core value and the resources sector will only strengthen its commitment to see that CWP is eradicated.

Source: QRC

The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has applauded the significant achievements by Rio Tinto’s Amrun project near Weipa with diversity in its workforce and investment in supporting local suppliers.

Yesterday the Land Court of Queensland recommended Minister Lynham grant the Mining Lease and the Environmental Authority be issued for the Kevin’s Corner coal mine in the Galilee Basin, subject to the original draft conditions.

The GVK backed mine would inject billions of dollars into regional Queensland with 1,800 construction jobs, 1,600 operational and thousands more through indirect employment for the life of the mine.

It is time to penalise states that do not develop resources because of pressure from foreign-funded green activists, the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane told the Queensland Media Club today.

The latest figures from the resource industry shows records tumble with an $8 billion increase in exports, however it’s not all good news as the Queensland Resources Council’s (QRC) quarterly sentiment survey highlights concerns about government policy uncertainty.

Statement from the Queensland Resources Council

Today’s budget papers illustrate the vital importance of resources, especially coal, to keep the state in the black. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced it as the ‘jobs bonanza budget’, which would have been impossible without royalty revenue.