QLD Mining could double in a decade

21-Jul-2010

QLD MINING COULD DOUBLE IN A DECADE

21st Jul 2010

THE amount of mining carried out in Queensland could double within 10 years, according to the Queensland Resources Council (QRC).

QRC chief executive, Michael Roche, says mining towns should anticipate another boom that will be much bigger than the last one from 2004 to 2009.

“We believe that the Queensland resources sector could well be growing in the next decade by anything between 60 and 100 per cent,” he told ABC radio.

Mr Roche wants part of the discussions during the federal election campaign to focus on how Australia will cope with another mining boom.

“There’s a role to be played by both the companies and by governments in making sure that there are policies for affordable housing, for community infrastructure.”

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister Julia Gillard has denied a $2 billion regional infrastructure fund will be used to win over votes in marginal mining seats.

The fund is made possible by the new mining tax, and $2 billion has been set aside for Queensland.

Ms Gillard says there won’t be any pork barrelling.

“I believe in objective assessments, getting the figures right, understanding what those proposals can mean,” she told journalists in Townsville.

Three of Queensland’s most marginal seats cover the mining communities that have been promised funding - Flynn (Gladstone), Leichhardt (Cairns) and Dawson (Mackay).

---