General News
27 January, 2023
New Acland still on track despite groundwater challenge
More than 60 new operators and maintainers will be offered positions at New Acland Mine within weeks.
New Acland Mine General Manager, Dave O’Dwyer said that the New Hope Group has established a Job Assessment Centre in Oakey for potential employees.
“We've been holding a series of sessions with prospective New Acland Mine employees to determine their suitability for operator and maintainer roles,” Mr O’Dwyer said.
“These sessions will include one-on-one interviews, group activities and aptitude tests.
“Following the sessions, we will extend job offers to approximately 60 operators and maintainers, who will become our initial production team.
Coal Handling, and Preparation Plant and Maintenance Manager Andy Scouller said applicants included returning faces.
"We've got some fitters and turners in here, some really good candidates," he said.
"There are some old faces.
"I'd say it's probably three quarters old faces."
The latest round of job offers means there will be more than a hundred employees on site at New Acland Mine by the end of February.
"We're building a small core team at the moment to get started and we'll be talking to people down the track," Mr Scouller said.
Over 1700 expressions of interest have been submitted at New Acland Mine with most applicants missing out.
“Workers who have previously expressed an interest in working at New Acland Mine will receive an email when a suitable role becomes available, so they can submit a formal application,” Mr O’Dwyer said.
"The next step will be later in the year when the new mining area is opened up.
“As we progress with our ramp-up plan during the next 18 months to two years, we will re-open the Job Assessment Centre and continue to grow our production team.”
At the peak of construction, the company says there will be close to 600 local workers on site at New Acland Mine, while the workforce will be approximately 400 full-time roles over the lifespan of the mine.
Meanwhile, the Oakey Coal Action Alliance is continuing legal action over findings that groundwater levels in nearby dairy farming properties will be affected.
Secretary Paul King says groundwater experts had rasied signficant concerns about New Hope's ability to monitor groundwater levels.
"The modelling actually shows that there will be effects to the groundwater," he said.
"New Acland are seeking to allow unlimited drawdown of the basalt groundwater, which would leave the pits open below groundwater level."
Mr King said the long-term impact of the mine would cripple the viability of dairy in the surrounding district.
“This will affect nearby dairy farmers who rely on water bores for their businesses.
"Farmers fear these bores will deplete or dry up after the mine starts operating.
“The risks to groundwater from the Acland coal mine are not properly understood and can’t be managed.
"The Palaszczuk Govern-ment should prioritise Queensland’s food and water security over coal.”
In response to queries about proposed amend-ments to the AWL licence sought after by New Hope, the company released the following statement:
"New Acland Coal has sought review of two specific conditions in the AWL which are inconsistent with the Coordinator General’s conditions and the conditions of the Mining Lease, Environmental Authority and Federal environmental approval for NAC Stage 3.
"The Coordinator General, the Minister for Resources, the Department of Environment and Science and the Federal Environment Minister each imposed their own specific conditions regarding areas for mining, final land form and water quality management.
"New Acland Coal has no issue with such conditions, and otherwise has no objection to any of the other conditions of the AWL.
"New Hope Group is merely seeking to remove the inconsistency between the AWL conditions and the appropriate conditions that have been imposed by the other regulators so that it can comply with all conditions associated with the project."
Mr O'Dwyer said construction still appears to be on-track for a beginning date at the start of February.
"We want to be moving dirt at the end of February, early March and late June early July will be when the coal is (dug up)," he said.
