Latest news with #MountIsa
ABC News
3 days ago
- ABC News
Qantas travellers' bush stranding highlights Australia's need for aviation consumer law
Sancia Walker almost made it home from her holiday last week. But when her Qantas flight was grounded in Cloncurry due to a mechanical issue, she said she was left to find her own way home. "They told us: 'No, you actually need to find your own accommodation for the night,'" Ms Walker said. Ms Walker had to book a cabin overnight, instead of completing her trip from Townsville to Mount Isa. She said it was a scramble for the roughly 30 passengers to find accommodation in the town of 3,000 people last Wednesday. Ms Walker said ground staff promised Qantas would text or email each passenger overnight to let them know if a replacement plane or a bus would be provided the next day. The following morning, Ms Walker said she had not heard from the airline, so she organised for a colleague in Mount Isa to make the three-hour round trip via car to pick her up. She said Qantas contacted her three days after the flight, after she lodged a complaint, offering to reimburse her out-of-pocket costs for the accommodation and meals. Ms Walker said the airline would not refund the cost of the flight but offered 5,000 frequent flyer points instead. A return flight from Mount Isa to Townsville costs a minimum of 16,000 points. Qantas said the airline had apologised to customers affected by the delay and would be reviewing the situation. In a statement, they said a replacement aircraft was sent to Cloncurry the following day to help get customers on their way. "We'll also reimburse them for related expenses," they said. Ms Walker said she did not receive a text or email about a replacement flight, but saw the updated flight on her Qantas app when she opened it during her lift home. Aviation expert Ian Douglas said the experience highlighted Australia's lack of aviation-specific consumer laws. "If this had happened in Europe, Qantas would have been obliged by law to get the passengers where they were travelling, to accommodate them, feed them, care for them until that was done, and to have compensated them for the delay," he said. Dr Douglas, who worked for Qantas for 25 years and lectures at the University of NSW, said general Australian consumer law was not well-suited to disrupted flights. Each airline has its own policy regarding flight disruptions, but has limited legal obligations to get customers to their intended destination or refund fares. Dr Douglas said operating airlines with Australia's relatively small population and large distances was difficult, but it was not a unique issue — pointing to countries like Finland and Canada that have similar demographics and geography. "It's therefore more difficult to connect and service regularly, but that's not an excuse for leaving people stranded without resources," he said. Dr Douglas said the federal government needed to step in for any meaningful change to happen. "If there was a willingness to run the business differently, they could have done that already," he said. He pointed to a 2024 Aviation White paper, where the Australian government announced an ombudsperson to set out national guidelines for the fair and appropriate treatment of customers by airlines and airports. An interim ombudsperson has started drafting some rules, but so far has yet to see significant progress. "It's taken two years to implement something fairly mediocre," Dr Douglas said. "They've really been kicking the can down the road as far as not implementing the sorts of things that are considered basic rights in Europe and have been implemented in Canada and the US."
ABC News
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Mt Isa teen's story published internationally thanks to outback writers' group
When teenager Jasmine Harvey received a WhatsApp message saying she would soon be an internationally published author, she thought it was a scam. "I was midway through my walk and I got a notification, my music paused … it was really just a shock." The 14-year-old from Mount Isa in Queensland's outback was one of 11 winners in an international writing competition where the prize was every writer's dream — to become a published author. "I don't think it has sunk in yet; it's still sort of a fever dream," she said. Jasmine said she has always been an enthusiastic reader but only dabbled in creative writing. So when the Mount Isa Library launched its Young Writers Group last year, she signed up. "I didn't think anyone else would be into writing," Jasmine said. The city's Young Writers Group is a fortnightly workshop for people aged 14 to 21. Facilitator Kaitlin Ryan started the program at the beginning of 2024 after noticing the library was not attracting many teenagers and young adults. "At the start, we didn't think we'd get anyone coming in [for the sessions]," Ms Ryan said. Eighteen months later, up to a dozen young people turn up at every session. Ms Ryan said it had been such a success that another group for even younger writers, aged nine to 12, had been launched. "It gives them a safe space to connect with other young people, to share the same goals and interests," she said. "And it's a skill they can take far into their lives, not just as a hobby." That has been the experience for 14-year-old Rory Jones, who joined the group last year after a friend roped him into it. He said the social aspects of the sessions had benefits beyond developing and honing writing skills. "It's kind of like therapy," Rory said. In a town centred around mining and engineering and sports-based recreational activities, the group has been a much-appreciated creative outlet for Riley Casey. At 18, she is one of the older members of the group. She said she enjoyed mentoring fellow writers in a city where the arts remained "a bit of a niche". "There's not too much out here," Ms Casey said. But as a young and hopeful writer in a remote part of the country, she was unsure what the future held for creative people her age. "I do feel slightly stuck because of the cost-of-living crisis; everything's quite expensive," she said. "How can you make a living as an artist?" Jasmine Harvey credited the support and guidance she received from the writing group with getting her short, dystopian story The Keeper published. "When I started, I wasn't ready to share anything at all that I had written, but then I could slowly share stuff with other people, I could get feedback," she said. The Once Upon In Our Minds competition was founded in 2022 by a fellow writer, 11-year-old Ridhhaan Jaiin. Jasmine, determined to get her work to a wider audience, found the competition while researching opportunities for young writers online. Aspiring writers aged five to 16 from across the globe submit their short stories according to three age categories. The winning works are published in a collection available for purchase online. Jasmine's 2,500-word story features alongside the winning collection of 11 short stories, in the competition's third iteration. Competition organisers said her story stood out for its originality and emotional resonance, securing her a well-deserved spot among the winners. Each day, the teenager eagerly awaits the delivery of a physical copy of her first published work. "I haven't had a copy in my hands yet; it's still sort of surprising," she said.
ABC News
20-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Mount Isa faces uncertain future, with imminent closure of copper mine
Mount Isa is set to lose a major industry by the end of July, with Glencore set to close its underground copper mine. The North West Queensland city is bracing for the impact of the closure on the mining community.
ABC News
20-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Copper mining and Mount Isa go hand-in-hand. Can one survive without the other?
Dotted along an outback Queensland horizon, mining stacks rise from the red dirt below. Marking the epicentre of one of the richest mineral deposits in the world, these towering cylinders bear the residue of more than 100 years of blood, sweat and tears. For all that time, mining has sustained the city at its doorstep — Mount Isa. Eighteen months ago, Swiss commodity trader Glencore announced it would close a significant portion of its Mount Isa Mines complex — the underground copper operation — by July this year. In that time, the company has reduced the expected redundancies from 1,200 to 500. But that hasn't eased the next big threat: to shutter other key assets if government doesn't intervene. Separated only by the width of a rail track, it's hard to distinguish where the Mount Isa Mines (MIM) complex ends and the community begins. It's always been that way. Prospector John Campbell Miles stumbled upon the rocky outcrops that would become the city in 1923. A year later, Mount Isa was born. "From those days, Mount Isa has always been fighting for our existence," local historian Kim-Maree Burton said. From company takeovers to stock market turmoil to industrial disputes, the local community has weathered each storm in its path. "It's our character, regardless of the parental ownership, MIM is part and parcel of this city," she said. "Could we have a city without the mine? I don't think so. Could we have the mine without the city? I don't think so. "We're two peas in a pod, we need each other." That's a sentiment shared by many of the 19,000 residents who call the place home. A born and bred Mount Isan, former local business owner Brett Peterson wasn't surprised when Glencore announced it was ceasing operations at the underground copper site. Threats to shutter other key assets like the copper smelter in Mount Isa and copper refinery in Townsville have stoked fears far and wide. "I don't want Mount Isa to end up as a small town, there's too much happening here," he said. Mount Isa is home to one of only two copper smelters in Australia and is the only one that can process third-party product. In countries like China and Indonesia, treatment costs are heavily subsidised by local governments. In a statement, Glencore interim chief operating officer Troy Wilson said the company could not keep up. "Smelters and refineries like those in Mount Isa and Townsville must be able to compete internationally to survive," Mr Wilson said. The company admitted these assets could close "this year if we cannot reach an agreement with the Queensland or federal governments." Four-yearly maintenance on the copper smelter to the tune of $30 million is due in 2026. But Glencore is seeking a much larger bailout, making a pointed comparison to the Whyalla Steelworks, which received a $2.4 billion package in February. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has been vocal on the need for these assets to stay operational, but neither the state nor federal government has promised any solid funding yet. "Mount Isa's been pretty good to Glencore over a long period of time, I think Glencore needs to be pretty good to Mount Isa now because that is a city on its knees," Mr Crisafulli told the ABC earlier in June. In a statement, a spokesperson for federal Minister for Industry and Innovation Tim Ayres said the Australian government was monitoring the situation and discussions were continuing. "Closure of the smelter would have downstream impacts for a number of facilities … the Australian government will work with the Queensland government on the path ahead." You only have to look at the remnants of once-bustling mining towns nearby to know what's at stake. The town of Mary Kathleen 50 kilometres from Mount Isa was born off the back of the uranium boom of the 1950s. At its peak, the community was entirely self-sufficient, with homes, a school, cinema, even an Olympic-sized swimming pool. But by 1982, when the ore deposit was exhausted, the town was stripped bare and sold off at auction. Mount Isa's population is already projected to decline, and the city council is preparing for a worst-case scenario of 50 per cent if no other projects start up. But long-time residents are confident Mount Isa won't suffer the same fate as its neighbour. "Mary Kathleen was totally different, it was a company town," Ms Burton said. President of Commerce North West Johno Neilsen points to Mount Isa's critical role as a service hub in the outback as proof the city will survive. "We've got the largest hospital in the region; health is a major employer. "That's the saving grace; there's a lot of industries that are still prevalent in town." For Mr Peterson, the looming threat of further closures isn't enough to make him pack up and abandon the city he's lived in all his life. "But we need to see some change on the horizon," he said.
Reuters
20-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Glencore says Australia copper smelter unviable, asks for government help
MELBOURNE, June 20 (Reuters) - Glencore (GLEN.L), opens new tab has called its Mount Isa copper smelter unviable and is waiting to hear back on its requests for assistance from state and federal governments to keep the facility open amid tough global conditions, it said on Friday. The UK-listed miner has been sounding the alarm in local media about its Mount Isa smelting business in Queensland state as its related mining operations are set to close next month. It will then have to procure copper concentrate to process when excess global smelting capacity has pushed global processing fees to historic lows. "A combination of unprecedented smelting market conditions, high costs like energy, gas and labour, and a shortage of copper concentrates is currently making the Mount Isa copper smelter unviable," Glencore said in a statement. Glencore said it has approached both federal and Queensland state governments for support to keep the copper smelter and refinery operating. Several lawmakers visited the plant on Friday including Australia's industry and science minister, Tim Ayres, and Queensland resources minister, Dale Last. The state and federal governments have engaged extensively with Glencore to explore options for a viable path forward for the smelter, which is a critical asset for regional and state economies, the ministers said in a joint statement. "Any closure of the Mount Isa copper smelter would have a detrimental impact on Australia's sovereign capability and other facilities downstream that rely on the smelter," Ayres said in the statement, without giving any details on what options there might be to provide Glencore with any funding. Glencore said that it had put forward ideas for a "regional solution that would bridge the current economic gap and enable the smelter and refinery to continue operating." "We want to continue operating the smelter and refinery and look forward to hearing feedback from both federal and Queensland governments on a possible way forward,' said Troy Wilson, chief operating officer for Glencore's Australian metals business, in a statement.
