10 May, 2023
Finally! New Acland re-opens
The New Acland Mine is officialy open again for business following an official ceremony with Resources Minister Scott Stewart last Wednesday.
New Hope Group CEO, Rob Bishop said the opening of Stage 3 is a defining moment for the region.
“Today is a moment of celebration for our workforce, their families, local farmers, landholders, business leaders and the local community,” he said.
“I would like to congratulate and thank the Oakey and Darling Downs communities for standing side-by-side New Hope Group over the past 16 years.
“Today’s official opening is reward for their perseverance, patience and belief.
“I’m delighted the Queensland Government supported today’s official opening and I would like to thank Queensland Minister for Resources, Scott Stewart for his attendance and for performing the official opening."
Mr Stewart said it was the end of a long road for the people of Oakey and surrounds.
"How good is this?" he said.
"We did it."
"When I came out here 11 months ago, it impacted me how passionate the community was about this project.
"It's industries like this that keep our communities intact.
"Local people working locally keeps the local economy going."
"I'd like to acknowledge Pat Weir for the work he's done with me to get this project going," Mr Stewart said.
"New Hope have proven to us that the mine stacks up socially, economically, and environmentally.
"We want to be working in partnership with the communites of Oakey and the Darling Downs."
"95% of staff are Darling Downs locals which is what we heard when we came up here 11 months ago. "
New Hope CEO Rob Bishop said it was a day the workers of the company had been waiting for.
"The place is absolutely humming," he said,
"There's been a lot of people here who've been dreaming of this and here we are.
"It's hard to keep the smiles off everyone's faces.
"From our perspective, we're just looking forward now.
The first shipment of New Acland Coal is scheduled to depart the site in 3 months time, and will be shipped approximately a month later.
"It's estimated we'll have 5-5/12 million product tonnes at full capacity."
He paid credit to the company workers that had stayed loyal throughout the project's journey.
"Andy Scouller was here right from the start, along with a handful of people."
"There are even more that have been here the last 10-15 years."
Federal Member for Groom, Garth Hamilton expressed gratitude to New Hope and all employees for their perseverance.
“New Hope has shown a resolute commitment to the local community, economy and jobs and unfortunately local workers have been put through the ringer by delays and uncertainty,” he said.
“It is important that the Labor Government acknowledges the criticality of the resources industry to our economy and the budget.
“Stage 3 means three things: cash in the local economy, jobs and importantly it means certainty for families, for the workers of Oakey.”
New Acland General Manager Dave O'Dwyer said work has already begun at the site at which a large work crew was watching on,
"Monday (8 May) we started moving topsoil," he said.
"It's great (having the crew) here and we'd love to have had more," he said.
There are currently more than a hundred local employees on site at New Acland Mine as work is starting, and at the peak of construction, it's estimated there will be approximately 600 Darling Downs workers on-site.
Throughout the life of the project, the permanent workforce will be approximately 400 full-time roles, the vast majority of which will be Darling Downs locals.
CEO of the Queensland Resources Council Ian Macfarlane, who was also the Resources Minister under the Howard Government when the project commenced, was in attendance for the occasion along with senior public servants Director General of the Department of Resources Mark Cridland, Deputy Director-General of Georesources Shaun Ferris, and Director of the Coal Assessment Hub Alex Grundy.
The New Acland Mine started operations with Stage 1 in 2002, by Premier Peter Beattie, while Stage 2 was opened in 2007 by Premier Anna Bligh.
Following fines in 2019 for breaching noise limits, the company has since introduced 'cutting-edge' equipment so as not to disturb local animals and 'sensitive receptor' Glenn Beutel, who is the sole remaining resident of the former town of Acland.
The Oakey Coal Action Alliance (OCAA) had started action against Stage 3 of the project over concerns about the contimination of local water.
The Newman LNP Government announced in 2012 that it was not willing to support the project as presented.
A revised project was announced, which was around two-thirds of the original size and preserved the existing structure in the township of Acland, including the War Memorial, park and the remnants of the Acland No.2 colliery on Francis Street.
The project spent a signficant amount of time in the Land Court, before approval was granted in 2016.
In 2019, the State Government granted environmental approval to the project to proceed, which was then delayed by an appeal by OCAA to the High Court.
It was at this time, that many long time workers were granted redundancies. and were forced to find work elsewhere.
In June of last year, the Resources Minister Scott Stewart met with the Chamber of Commerce and local farmers in favour of the mine, before returning in August to announce that the State Government had granted approval.
The mine's expected lifespan will now extend by 12 years to 2034, when Stage 3 operations. will wind down.
It's not yet known whether 20-year old plans for a Stage 4, 5 and 6 of the mine remain on the table for further expansion.
OCAA have said they are considering their options for further legal action, and will be watching the mine's operations closely.
