Attitudes towards mining revealed

A NEW national survey on citizen attitudes towards mining shows three-quarters of Australians think mining companies should gain consent from local communities before development.

The CSIRO report also showed while most Australians accept mining and hold positive views about its role in contributing to the nation’s economy, they hold low levels of trust in the industry and don’t feel they have a voice in shaping the industry’s practices or faith in the governance surrounding mining.

CSIRO surveyed 8020 Australians on their attitudes toward mining. Participants were over the age of 18 living in mining regions, non-mining regions and metropolitan areas.

“In Australia in recent years, the types of conversations we’ve had about mining haven’t always been constructive,” CSIRO social scientist Dr Kieren Moffat said.

“What’s been lacking in these discussions – about a resource base that’s managed on behalf of Australian citizens – is the citizens’ voice.

“We want to promote a conversation about mining that goes a lot deeper and brings that voice directly to the table.”

The top perceived benefit of mining is job creation, which outweighs the top perceived negative impacts to the environment and water quality.

The results form part of a global database on attitudes to mining.