newy.com.au – The NSW Government has released its first statewide coal workforce skills audit to guide planning for new jobs in mining regions, including the Hunter, which accounts for more than 60 per cent of the state’s coal workers.
The audit found 93 per cent of Hunter coal workers live locally. It also found coal mining employees earn higher than average incomes across the state’s coal regions, highlighting the importance of wages as well as job numbers in future employment planning.
Across NSW, about 46 per cent of coal workers are machinery operators or drivers, while about 30 per cent are technicians and trades workers. More than half hold certificate level qualifications, and about 40 per cent are aged 45 or older.
The study covers the Hunter, Central West, North West and Illawarra and is among the first pieces of work for the newly legislated Future Jobs and Investment Authority. The government says it will help identify when and where workers will become available and which skills could transfer to new industries.
Minister for Natural Resources Courtney Houssos said the audit would help target workforce planning.
“It means we can match people with future jobs and target training and education where it will make the greatest difference, building on the skills of our coal workforce.”
The government says it is planning for an expected decline in global coal demand while supporting existing mining employment. Coal supports about 25,000 direct jobs in NSW, according to the government.
MEU Northern Mining and NSW Energy District president Robin Williams welcomed the planning but said future industries needed to offer jobs that maintained workers’ living standards.
“These aren’t jobs that can easily be replaced. New industries and investment in the Hunter need to deliver secure, well-paid jobs that allow workers and their families to maintain a decent standard of living.”
Williams said planning through the authority needed to begin by supporting existing coal jobs while creating the next generation of employment in mining communities.
The government says it is contributing $22.5 million a year to the Future Jobs and Investment Fund to support jobs and economic opportunities across coal regions. It is also working on planning reforms to allow more uses for land after mining, aiming to keep former mine sites in employment use.
Alongside the audit, the government cited the Independent Planning Commission’s approval for Hunter Valley Operations, saying it would support 1,500 jobs and about $1 billion of investment in the coming year.
Separately, it plans to introduce legislation in November aimed at protecting 400 workers at MACH Energy’s Mount Pleasant mine while that project moves through the planning system.
Cessnock councillor Quintin King voiced his concerns over the decline of coal production, saying “Coal has powered NSW for generations and continues to make a massive contribution to our economy. We should be supporting our mining communities, not pursuing policies that threaten their future. The Hunter Valley deserves a future, not a managed decline.”
The audit is being made available for councils, employers, miners and industry groups to use in their own planning. The full report and information about the authority are available on the NSW Government’s workforce skills audit page.
