Minister tells mining conference: safety must come first

Townsville: Mines and Energy Minister Geoff Wilson has told leading mining industry figures that nothing is more important than the safety and health of the men and women who work in Queensland’s mines.

Hundreds of representatives from the state’s mining industry are meeting in Townsville for the annual Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference.

Minister Wilson told delegates that vigilance must be the highest priority on every shift at every mine.

“The highest safety standards must continue to be enforced, mine by mine, employer by employer, worker by worker,” Mr Wilson said.

“The Bligh Government has taken a number of significant steps to improve safety and health services in the mining industry. More unannounced audits are being carried out at targeted mines following a successful series of safety audits undertaken last year.

“Some of the findings from those audits hang a lantern on serious safety concerns. That’s exactly what they were designed to do – to find faults, and for mining companies to fix them,” he said.

The Minister said the Mines Inspectorate had been revitalised to reflect a new, modern era of mining in Queensland.

“We launched a national recruitment drive to attract the brightest and the best. We’ve recruited ten new inspectors and more are on the way,” he said.

“The safety and health of the men and women who work in the industry will also be strengthened through the new industry safety and health levy.

“The levy will boost the services provided by the Mines Inspectorate.

“We’re asking $26 million from an industry that was worth $26 billion to Queensland in 2006/2007.

“We have the best mine safety legislation in Australia and it must continue to be enforced from the ground up and that’s where the Mines Inspectorate steps in.

“The levy will fund seven new specialist mines inspectors, two investigators, five scientific research staff, an occupational hygienist, a statistician and a manager of health surveillance.

“Queensland has one of the best safety records in the world and it is in everyone’s interests to keep it that way,” he said.

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