QCoal today welcomed the announcement by Natural Resources and Mines Minister Dale Last that the Byerwen mine workers’ camp would not be closed.
QCoal Group Executive James Black said the company had been working with the new State Government on the future of the workers’ camp at the Byerwen mine.
QCoal and its partners, under the Energy Resources Queensland (ERQ) group, campaigned throughout 2024 to save the Byerwen mine, and its 800 jobs, from closure due to the previous Labor Government’s unfair legislation.
The forced closure of the camp placed the future of the Byerwen coal mine and its 800 jobs at risk. Byerwen is owned 85% by QCoal and 15% by Japanese steel maker JFE.
The former State Labor Government had introduced legislation to force the 800 workers, more than 80 per cent of whom live in regional Queensland, to move from their onsite workers’ camp to the Glencore mining town of Glenden 40 minutes’ drive from the Byerwen mine.
The legislation closing the camp was introduced without consultation, attached to a child protection bill and pushed through State Parliament inside 24 hours with less than 30 minutes Parliamentary debate.
QCoal already houses some workers who chose to live in Glenden in properties it owns.
The current legislation’s first “trigger” for forced movement of Byerwen staff into Glenden was to occur this month – March 2025.
The Minister yesterday announced an extension of the current timeline to December 2025 and the ongoing preservation of the workers’ camp at the Byerwen mine.
“We are delighted, on behalf of our workers, that the Minister has now publicly committed to permanently retaining the Byerwen mine workers’ camp for the term of the mining lease. We thank him for his support for mine workers across Queensland.
“With the legislative deadline now delayed, we will continue to work with the State Government on the future of Glenden,” Mr Black said.
“For us it was always about choice, fairness and equity. Why were our workers singled out for this unfair treatment while other nearby mines were allowed to house their workforces in on site camps? Why was saving Glenden the entire responsibility of QCoal and its 800 Byerwen workers?
“We welcome today’s announcement that the future of the camp is guaranteed and that our workers and their families will no longer be forced to live in Glenden,” Mr Black said.
“We will continue to work with the Minister to contribute to the future of Glenden along with other mining companies in the area,” he said.