New Industry Opportunities Sparked by Rezoning Hunter Mining Sites

BY OLIVIA HADWEN

Two mining sites in the Hunter are set to be rezoned for new industry opportunities in renewable energy, warehousing and manufacturing.

Following the closure of Muswellbrook's Mount Arthur Coal Mine in 2030, around 5,400 hectares of the site will be rezoned for the new developments, set to host nearly 6,000 new jobs. 

Meanwhile, the former Macquarie Coal Complex in West Wallsend is ideally positioned to become a major employment precinct as well, featuring at least 500 hectares of developable land. 

The proposed operation will create up to 1,130 new jobs, with direct links to the M1 and Main Northern Railway. 

These are the first major post-mining land transformation plans underneath the Commonwealth Government's $5 million investment alongside state funding. 

The redevelopment of land is set to drive economic growth across the Hunter region and provide job opportunities to local workers. 

NSW Planning and Public Spaces Minister Paul Scully said the state government is acting now to plan for the region's future. 

"These proposals provide a clear pathway for former mining land to support new industries, investment and jobs for decades to come," he said. 

The draft master plans and rezoning proposals are on public exhibition until August 11. 

The community can speak directly with the project team through in-person drop-in sessions set to be held in both Muswellbrook and Lake Macquarie. 

"These plans will help create thousands of local jobs, attract new investment and give Hunter communities confidence that the region will remain one of the state's economic powerhouses," Hunter Minister Yasmin Catley added. 

Union Wins Landmark Workplace Agreement After Three-Year BHP Battle

BY DAKOTA TAIT

A three-year workplace negotiations dispute between BHP and the union Professionals Australia has finally ended after the Fair Work Commission ruled in favour of workers to establish a new deal.

The new enterprise agreement, the first to cover mine supervisors, locks in key conditions such as redundancy provisions for workers at BHP's Mount Arthur coal mine at Muswellbrook.

Workers had been repeatedly shut down by BHP while attempting to secure protections for the conditions over the past three years.

The mine was also recently put up for sale by the company, raising concern about possible job losses.

The union's Collieries’ Staff Division Director Catherine Bolger says the decision meant "certainty and security" for around 75 families.

"The agreement has been a long time in the making," Ms Bolger said. "Initially BHP were reluctant to have an agreement for their supervisors." 

"It's also a landmark for other supervisors in the Hunter Valley who now concede that their colleagues at Mount Arthur have won an agreement and it provides them the benchmark that they can also pursue."

The Fair Work Commission found that BHP's conduct was unfair and that they had used delay tactics in breach of the Fair Work Act.

Ms Bolger says the union is looking forward to working with the company to implement the new agreement.

Image credit: https://www.bhp.com/