5 days ago
Business owners on board with land use planning committee's proposed way forward
THE Hunter business community is calling for bipartisan support for reforms outlined in a post-mining land use report after the state government adopted all 13 recommendations.
In the mix is a skills audit of the state's mining workforce and a review of three key pieces of legislation.
Those measures will inform future needs regarding investment in reskilling, training, economic development and future site use, says Business Hunter CEO Bob Hawes.
"This is really important work to ensure our transition programs are aligned with both the existing skills base and future workforce needs," Mr Hawes said.
"We hope to see bipartisan support for the reforms and actions outlined in the report."
It will look at what wages and employment conditions are currently industry standard, opportunities for on-site training and skill development, and identify training and education shortages in mining regions.
The Beneficial and Productive Post mining Land Use report, tabled in parliament on July 16, has identified three key pieces of legislation for review -the Mining Act, Environmental Planning and Assessment Act and Protection of the Environment Operations Act - to ensure they facilitate opportunities for post-mining land use, Mr Hawes said.
The NSW Government has agreed to complete that review by June 2026.
"This provides a pathway forward to untangle some of the complex issues identified by the committee to ensure we can unlock opportunities for economically beneficial reuse of mining and related lands in future," Mr Hawes said.
The report follows a parliamentary inquiry into the best way to use hundreds of thousands of hectares of land left behind from coal mining closures.
The recommendations include continued evaluation of security deposits to determine if they will be sufficient for meeting rehabilitation requirements.
It suggests an audit and mapping of industrial sites, surplus and industrial lands for potential repurposing for housing, environmental, educational tourism, sport, infrastructure, advanced manufacturing and renewable energy purposes.
It has recommended that the leadership of regional resource and energy transition be elevated to a ministerial and senior departmental working group.
In adopting that recommendation, the state government has tasked the newly established Future Jobs and Investment Authority with leading many of the initiatives it has agreed to pursue.
Mr Hawes said the Future Jobs and Investment Authority was well-placed to lead postmining land use initiatives given its terms of reference and status as a statutory authority with capacity to coordinate across government agencies.
"The actions from this report will provide the new Future Jobs and Investment Authority with plenty of tasks and responsibilities," Mr Hawes said.
"Business Hunter and other stakeholders in our region will be keeping a watching brief to ensure the Authority continues to be resourced to get on with the job in timely fashion."
THE Hunter business community is calling for bipartisan support for reforms outlined in a post-mining land use report after the state government adopted all 13 recommendations.
In the mix is a skills audit of the state's mining workforce and a review of three key pieces of legislation.
Those measures will inform future needs regarding investment in reskilling, training, economic development and future site use, says Business Hunter CEO Bob Hawes.
"This is really important work to ensure our transition programs are aligned with both the existing skills base and future workforce needs," Mr Hawes said.
"We hope to see bipartisan support for the reforms and actions outlined in the report."
It will look at what wages and employment conditions are currently industry standard, opportunities for on-site training and skill development, and identify training and education shortages in mining regions.
The Beneficial and Productive Post mining Land Use report, tabled in parliament on July 16, has identified three key pieces of legislation for review -the Mining Act, Environmental Planning and Assessment Act and Protection of the Environment Operations Act - to ensure they facilitate opportunities for post-mining land use, Mr Hawes said.
The NSW Government has agreed to complete that review by June 2026.
"This provides a pathway forward to untangle some of the complex issues identified by the committee to ensure we can unlock opportunities for economically beneficial reuse of mining and related lands in future," Mr Hawes said.
The report follows a parliamentary inquiry into the best way to use hundreds of thousands of hectares of land left behind from coal mining closures.
The recommendations include continued evaluation of security deposits to determine if they will be sufficient for meeting rehabilitation requirements.
It suggests an audit and mapping of industrial sites, surplus and industrial lands for potential repurposing for housing, environmental, educational tourism, sport, infrastructure, advanced manufacturing and renewable energy purposes.
It has recommended that the leadership of regional resource and energy transition be elevated to a ministerial and senior departmental working group.
In adopting that recommendation, the state government has tasked the newly established Future Jobs and Investment Authority with leading many of the initiatives it has agreed to pursue.
Mr Hawes said the Future Jobs and Investment Authority was well-placed to lead postmining land use initiatives given its terms of reference and status as a statutory authority with capacity to coordinate across government agencies.
"The actions from this report will provide the new Future Jobs and Investment Authority with plenty of tasks and responsibilities," Mr Hawes said.
"Business Hunter and other stakeholders in our region will be keeping a watching brief to ensure the Authority continues to be resourced to get on with the job in timely fashion."
THE Hunter business community is calling for bipartisan support for reforms outlined in a post-mining land use report after the state government adopted all 13 recommendations.
In the mix is a skills audit of the state's mining workforce and a review of three key pieces of legislation.
Those measures will inform future needs regarding investment in reskilling, training, economic development and future site use, says Business Hunter CEO Bob Hawes.
"This is really important work to ensure our transition programs are aligned with both the existing skills base and future workforce needs," Mr Hawes said.
"We hope to see bipartisan support for the reforms and actions outlined in the report."
It will look at what wages and employment conditions are currently industry standard, opportunities for on-site training and skill development, and identify training and education shortages in mining regions.
The Beneficial and Productive Post mining Land Use report, tabled in parliament on July 16, has identified three key pieces of legislation for review -the Mining Act, Environmental Planning and Assessment Act and Protection of the Environment Operations Act - to ensure they facilitate opportunities for post-mining land use, Mr Hawes said.
The NSW Government has agreed to complete that review by June 2026.
"This provides a pathway forward to untangle some of the complex issues identified by the committee to ensure we can unlock opportunities for economically beneficial reuse of mining and related lands in future," Mr Hawes said.
The report follows a parliamentary inquiry into the best way to use hundreds of thousands of hectares of land left behind from coal mining closures.
The recommendations include continued evaluation of security deposits to determine if they will be sufficient for meeting rehabilitation requirements.
It suggests an audit and mapping of industrial sites, surplus and industrial lands for potential repurposing for housing, environmental, educational tourism, sport, infrastructure, advanced manufacturing and renewable energy purposes.
It has recommended that the leadership of regional resource and energy transition be elevated to a ministerial and senior departmental working group.
In adopting that recommendation, the state government has tasked the newly established Future Jobs and Investment Authority with leading many of the initiatives it has agreed to pursue.
Mr Hawes said the Future Jobs and Investment Authority was well-placed to lead postmining land use initiatives given its terms of reference and status as a statutory authority with capacity to coordinate across government agencies.
"The actions from this report will provide the new Future Jobs and Investment Authority with plenty of tasks and responsibilities," Mr Hawes said.
"Business Hunter and other stakeholders in our region will be keeping a watching brief to ensure the Authority continues to be resourced to get on with the job in timely fashion."
THE Hunter business community is calling for bipartisan support for reforms outlined in a post-mining land use report after the state government adopted all 13 recommendations.
In the mix is a skills audit of the state's mining workforce and a review of three key pieces of legislation.
Those measures will inform future needs regarding investment in reskilling, training, economic development and future site use, says Business Hunter CEO Bob Hawes.
"This is really important work to ensure our transition programs are aligned with both the existing skills base and future workforce needs," Mr Hawes said.
"We hope to see bipartisan support for the reforms and actions outlined in the report."
It will look at what wages and employment conditions are currently industry standard, opportunities for on-site training and skill development, and identify training and education shortages in mining regions.
The Beneficial and Productive Post mining Land Use report, tabled in parliament on July 16, has identified three key pieces of legislation for review -the Mining Act, Environmental Planning and Assessment Act and Protection of the Environment Operations Act - to ensure they facilitate opportunities for post-mining land use, Mr Hawes said.
The NSW Government has agreed to complete that review by June 2026.
"This provides a pathway forward to untangle some of the complex issues identified by the committee to ensure we can unlock opportunities for economically beneficial reuse of mining and related lands in future," Mr Hawes said.
The report follows a parliamentary inquiry into the best way to use hundreds of thousands of hectares of land left behind from coal mining closures.
The recommendations include continued evaluation of security deposits to determine if they will be sufficient for meeting rehabilitation requirements.
It suggests an audit and mapping of industrial sites, surplus and industrial lands for potential repurposing for housing, environmental, educational tourism, sport, infrastructure, advanced manufacturing and renewable energy purposes.
It has recommended that the leadership of regional resource and energy transition be elevated to a ministerial and senior departmental working group.
In adopting that recommendation, the state government has tasked the newly established Future Jobs and Investment Authority with leading many of the initiatives it has agreed to pursue.
Mr Hawes said the Future Jobs and Investment Authority was well-placed to lead postmining land use initiatives given its terms of reference and status as a statutory authority with capacity to coordinate across government agencies.
"The actions from this report will provide the new Future Jobs and Investment Authority with plenty of tasks and responsibilities," Mr Hawes said.
"Business Hunter and other stakeholders in our region will be keeping a watching brief to ensure the Authority continues to be resourced to get on with the job in timely fashion."
