Mining out of step

THE COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented health crisis, which will soon be followed by an unprecedented economic crisis.

Our government, industries and businesses are working together to help the Australian people weather the storm, with one glaring exception: the mining industry.

The mining industry is shamefully exploiting the pandemic to bag bigger profits.

Mining companies say they care about workers and local communities but based on their recent behaviour, this is nothing more than a charade.

Mining executives recently ignited a political storm by calling for the scrapping of awards and enterprise agreements for up to six months to give them unprecedented power to cut the pay and hours of workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

How does this help workers and local communities?

This is nothing more than an opportunistic grab on working people’s rights during this crisis, when we are supposed to be working together in the national interest.

The same caring mining companies are also risking the health of workers and local communities.

Why aren’t they pausing operations and making the sacrifices that sectors like tourism and hospitality and others are making in the interests of public health? Instead their fly-in/fly-out workforce is putting workers and small towns throughout Queensland at risk of a COVID-19 outbreak.

These communities don’t have the healthcare infrastructure needed to deal with an outbreak.

Mining is not the be all and end all industry in Queensland. In fact, 96 per cent of Queenslanders do not work in coal mining.

Finally, we must not overlook the other looming crisis, climate change, which is driven by the burning of fossil fuels, especially coal.

We must acknowledge the climate crisis and use the lessons learned from this pandemic: together we can make big changes.

Take this opportunity to move away from fossil fuels to a cleaner and greener economy run on renewable energy.

TONY FONTES, Jubilee Pocket.