Community concerns heard in Upper Hunter

Coal producers in the Upper Hunter are listening to community concerns about the cumulative impact of mines in the region.

The release coal mining equipment in kazakhstan of the ‘Report on the Stakeholder Survey’ from the Australian Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility (ACCSR) and commissioned by the NSW Minerals Council will have benefits for industry and community, according to chief executive of the Minerals Council, Nikki Williams.

The Upper Hunter’s coal producers have released a response to the findings, which will form the basis for the next stage in the process.

The Upper Hunter Mining Dialogue was designed to get a better understanding of the collective impacts of mines in the region and work with the community to find solutions for some of their concerns.

Over 90 stakeholders and decision makers from across the Upper Hunter were interviewed by the ACCSR late last year, raising issues of concern for them.

Some of the primary findings of the research was that stakeholders, including those from the mining industry, recognise that cumulative impacts from mining exist, and that they need to work together to deal with those impacts.

It also found different opinions gold mining in chile on necessary work exists between different groups, and there are not strong enough relationships present for the groups to work together in finding solutions.

Bridging the divide between some groups will be a key challenge in the development of solutions, the report found.

Overall, stakeholders tend to have a negative perception of the mining industry as a whole and rate their experiences with individual companies more favaourably.

Williams said the industry acknowledged the findings and had established three working groups as a first step to addressing priority issues from the Stakeholder Survey.

“While individual companies are managing environmental impacts and working with their local communities, the feedback from this survey shows that we have much more to do,” Williams said.

“The results tell us that there is a high degree of concern that we need to thoroughly understand. It is positive though that most participants agreed on the need to act collaboratively.

“Working through these issues with the community is one of the most important priorities for us in 2011 and beyond.

“We are listening and we realise being part of the region’s future will mean doing things differently. It won’t be easy, but we are open to change.

“These results show that there are clearly areas of difference, but we hope the Dialogue will be an avenue for constructive discussion between all of the stakeholders with an interest in the general well-being of the community.

“The Working Groups we have ore crushing machine in philippines established include members from each of the region’s mines and they will reach out to stakeholders in the next stage of the dialogue and help to work out the best way to deal with specific concerns.

“We will also continue with our work, individually and as an industry, like research into dust suppressants for haul roads, working with regulators on improving dust management practices and funding the new Upper Hunter Air Quality Monitoring Network.”
The most frequently raised concerns were those of dust and air quality, as well as employment opportunities and investment.