Accelerating the reactivation and redevelopment of current and former mining lands across the Hunter is of the highest priority for our region’s Mayors. With the impending closure of two of the Hunter’s largest coal mines, the region faces the imminent loss of 12,000 jobs as soon as 2030.

Urgent action is therefore needed to address the barriers currently inhibiting the reactivation and redevelopment of current and former mining and buffer lands. Repurposing these lands and the valuable infrastructure they contain (e.g. water, rail, roads, utilities & building infrastructure) provides the most efficient and cost-effective way to attract and grow the new industries and jobs the region needs as our economy transforms. We can’t afford to have this valuable infrastructure removed as currently planned when it could be better repurposed for new job creation.

We have a plan on how we can start to tackle this complex challenge. We’re actively advocating for financial commitments from both major parties in the lead up to the federal election, and to the NSW Government to reinvest coal royalties back into the Hunter’s economic transformation, starting with mining land reuse and redevelopment. We’re seeking $20.7 million to be invested in four pilot projects over 3-7 years to map coal mine sites, develop action plans, and create master plans for future use. If just 1% of mining royalties were directed to support the future of our mining impact communities, it would equate to approximately $30 million per year.

This is not about letting mining companies walk away from their obligations, but to strategically explore how current and former mining lands can best provide future jobs as they progress toward their closure and rehabilitation – a win-win for our region. Member councils and the Hunter JO are regularly receiving inquiries from businesses looking for industrial land to upscale their operations, but with limited land available in the Hunter they are constrained. Reusing our mining lands could be the solution – but we need urgent action to progress.

In the past couple of months, our Mayors have met with Hon Emily Suvaal, MLC, Chair of the NSW Government Inquiry into the ‘Beneficial and Productive Post Mining Land Use’, and with the Hon Paul Scully, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, to seek support and a commitment of agency resources to explore current planning challenges and potential pathways for activating the reuse and redevelopment of mining lands. On this front we welcome the recent release of recommendations from the NSW Government Inquiry into the beneficial reuse of mining lands and look forward to further engaging with the Government on their implementation.

Find out more about our proposed plan HERE