Media Release
Date: 24 December 2008
From: Ian Macdonald, NSW Minister for Mineral Resources
New Training Mine for Hunter an ‘Australian First’
The first step has been taken in securing a major training facility for miners in the Hunter Valley with an exploration licence awarded to Doyles Creek Mining Pty Ltd, Minister for Mineral Resources Ian Macdonald said today.
Minister Macdonald said the plans to establish a new training facility at the Doyles Creek mine, which will include an underground mine, are an effort to address the skills shortage in the mining industry.
It is expected that 104 trainees and a further 50 university students will be based at the new training centre each year,” he said.
Once up and running, this initiative will help address the skills shortage the mining industry has been experiencing and will help meet workforce requirements. The $200 million Doyles Creek training mine project, will be a centre of excellence in mining, training, education and research.”
The exploration licence covers an area of around 30 km adjacent to the Jerrys Plains township in the Upper Hunter Valley.
As well as a mine, it is proposed the site will contain a training facility, a workshop, an administration building, accommodation and recreation areas, water recycling plant and reservoir,”he said. “Mining underpins our economy and last year the total value of mineral production in NSW was worth an estimated $12.3 billion.”
The resources sector has provided NSW with a real boost, it has brought new investment, thousands of jobs and created countless opportunities across NSW, especially in regional areas where we are experiencing one of the worst droughts on record.”
Doyles Creek Mining Director Craig Ransley, who is also Executive Chairman of Resco Services Pty Ltd, the key partner of the Doyles Creek Training Mine, said the grant of the ELA ensures the first training mine facility in NSW will become a reality.
We congratulate the NSW Government’s commitment to establishing this sustainable underground coal mine to provide practical and theoretical mining and OH&S experience and expertise,” he said.
Development of an underground training mine in the Newcastle/Hunter Valley coal mining region has long been talked about, but now it has the support to finally become a reality. The Doyles Creek Training Mine Facility is different from previous concepts as the coal mine is projected to generate sufficient financial returns to support the training mine operation on a long term self-sustaining basis. “
Importantly, the mine will also operate on an environmentally sustainable basis – one such initiative is the extraction of methane gas and conversion to LNG. This will reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and also generate additional revenues from an otherwise waste product.”
Institutions such as the University of Newcastle, and Hunter Valley Training Company will use the mine training facility for training in disciplines such as mining operations, mining services, hospitality and horticulture; and the Hunter Region SLSA Helicopter Rescue Service Limited will be able to access the site to perform mining rescue operations training.
This is rubbish! It is a veiled attempt to get an exploration licence through under the guise of a training establishment. An investigative journalist would contact the training partners and ask to see the memorandum of understanding in relation to the proposed training. THey don’t exist! This is an enormous con, supported by a government with no money and no morals.
Is there anywhere safe to live?
Hi Allen, thanks for your comment.
This personal website is barely a news organisation so I reproduce press releases here with zero time (and barely the skills) for being “investigative” – though, of course, your point well taken. Consider your comment the additional and opposing aspect not discussed in the release’s language.
FYI, press releases are chosen on a personal filter that precludes big sport, overly-commercial, and rabidly political. Preferred are items just like this, that affect communities or are of community interest.
Feel free to comment on anything else that needs alternate readings, and encourage others if they consider the ‘forum’ worth their effort.
Congratulations, Westpac Bank as a 26% owner of Resco, on bankrolling yet another environmental disaster.
Westpac’s recent greenwashing ad campaign of not funding projects that “endanger communities or the environment” are clearly false.
Protect Jerrys Plains.
http://www.jerrysplains.blogspot.com/
my son has semi skilled construction experience and has generic coal cert.he has been trying to get a start in the mines as a trainee operator or skilled labouer for 2 years now .getting into the mines is very hard unless you know some one . Training? mines dont train anyone anymore, i see this as a massive waste of money if the mines dont employ