Explorers need break
LABOR must act now to save resource jobs.
Queensland’s resources exploration industry needs support from the Palaszczuk Labor Government to discover the state’s next wave of jobcreating resource projects and to provide the infrastructure needed throughout the state.
The Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (AMEC) fears for the future of resource jobs in Queensland and I share their fear.
Small exploration companies have been finding it increasingly difficult to work in Queensland and COVID-19 has turned a difficult time into a crisis.
Many of these companies are having to reduce staff as they struggle to stay afloat.
Mining exploration is essential to the development of the future mining projects that Queensland desperately needs.
Without explorers, we won’t have the mines that create thousands of jobs and pay the royalties that build new schools, hospitals and roads, and fund extra police.
Currently, South Australia and Western Australia are providing a temporary freeze on exploration tenement rentals and work program commitments to support their explorers. Queensland Labor, however, is considering more royalty hikes that will cost jobs.
The Palaszczuk Labor Government needs to follow the lead from the other mining states and urgently support our mining exploration companies.
It’s completely unreasonable to expect companies to pay rent on something they can’t access.
The LNP is proud to support resource exploration in Queensland and the projects, and jobs, that exploration provides. That is why we promise a 10-year royalty freeze to give investment certainty.
The resource sector is crucial to the long-term economic prosperity of Queensland and exploration should be seen as the fundamental building block to the ongoing development of this sector. Queensland explorers are just asking for a fair go so they can survive and develop jobs and mines for Queensland’s future.
DALE LAST, LNP spokesman on natural resources.