Thank you to Mayor Jeff Drayton for hosting our June Hunter Board meeting in Muswellbrook. It was clear to see from our visit the enormous contribution that mining contributes to the Upper Hunter’s economy, and the importance of the current planning and projects underway by Council to transform and diversify the Upper Hunter’s economy to ensure ongoing liveability and prosperity for local communities.

More broadly the future of jobs across our entire region, including advocacy to progress the urgent and practical reuse of mining lands has continued to be a priority for our Board over recent months.  This included a delegation of our Mayors travelled to Sydney in June to continue advocating for the advancement of four post mining land use pilot projects and to highlight the imperative for more coordinated action across government. Meetings were held with the Hon. Yasmin Catley, Minister for the Hunter, and members of the Hunter Labor Caucus, as well as the Hon. Greg Piper, Speaker of the House.

We were also pleased to hear progress from the Hon. Emily Suvaal MLC, Chair of the NSW Parliament’s State Development Committee, at a forum hosted by Business Hunter, who shared key findings from the recent Inquiry into beneficial post-mining land use. The report’s recommendations—supported by our Board—focus on incentivising land reuse, de-risking investment, enabling planning reforms, and supporting workforce transition.

Along with other Mayors I attended the Hunter Region Roundtable hosted by the Hon. Courtney Houssos, Minister for Natural Resources, focusing on the NSW Government’s new Future Jobs and Investment Authority. The Authority will play a key role in supporting coal mining regions prepare for a future beyond coal. With our region set to experience coal mine closures over the next couple of decades impacting nearly 50,000 jobs, including 10,000 by 2030 alone, we’re pleased to hear that the initial focus will be on the Hunter (and Central West region).  This is important progress for our region. We look forward to the Authority driving whole of government alignment and co-operation across NSW agencies to:

• Facilitate strategic planning to unlock former mining and energy lands for new industries
• Attract investment and grow local jobs
• Deliver initiatives to support workers in transition

Engage genuinely with local councils and our communities to deliver lasting change.