Feds support Acland miners
Labor, Greens attempt to vote down motion
MINISTER for Resources and Northern Australia Matt Canavan has condemned Labor for siding with the Greens in an attempt to vote down a motion supporting workers at the New Acland coal mine.
“It is to Labor’s eternal shame that it has worked with the Greens to vote against a motion in the Senate which recognised the importance of Queensland’s resources sector and the New Acland coal mine, and called on the Queensland Government to not allow its approval processes to be delayed by judicial activism,” Mr Canavan said.
“The Labor-Greens alliance has given New Acland mine workers a collective kick in the guts.
“It is even more disappointing to see Labor abandon Queensland workers for the sake of keeping the Greens happy. That is not a path any mainstream political party should start down.
“Governments have a critical role to play in approving mining projects in a timely way and should not be held hostage by those who seek to weaponise the law.”
Federal Member for Groom John McVeigh echoed the criticism, saying local workers and the entire community of Oakey had been in limbo for 12 years.
“These hard working people have lived with constant uncertainty about the security of their jobs, and the ongoing viability of the New Acland mine,” Dr McVeigh said.
“The Queensland Labor Government should be doing more to resolve this long-running dispute and put the security of local jobs first.
“Oakey is a resilient community but after more than a decade of indecision around the mine’s future and the added stress of many years of drought, the town and our region deserves the respect of the Queensland Government. They simply must get on with the job of clearing the way forward for local jobs and families.”