Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Matt Canavan has applauded the resources sector for its contribution to the NSW Central West during a visit to the region with local Federal MP, Member for Calare and Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister Andrew Gee, today.
“Andrew Gee is a great advocate of the local resources sector in Calare and it’s great to be with him, visiting some of the terrific mining operations making a significant contribution to the regional communities across the electorate,” Minister Canavan said.
“Like other regional industries, mining contributes to the lifeblood of centres like Orange, Bathurst and Lithgow and many other smaller communities in the area.
“It’s disappointing however that we can’t be celebrating the development of Kepco’s proposed Bylong Valley coal mine which would have created more than 1,000 new jobs and injected hundreds of millions of dollars into the region, because Sydney based bureaucrats, who have no idea about the bush, kyboshed it.”
Tens of thousands of people are employed in the resources sector in regional NSW, with many of those in the Central West. It’s estimated almost a thousand Central West businesses are directly supported by the sector while it’s worth more than $600 million.
Mr Gee said Minister Canavan had been a strong voice for the resources sector and it was great to highlight the excellent operations making a great contribution to the region.
During the visit, Minister Canavan has toured the Cadia Valley Gold Mine near Orange which employs 1,200 staff and contractors, and the Angus Place Coal Mine at Lidsdale which employs 15 staff during its current care and maintenance status.
“Large or small, these mines provide valuable local jobs, while also giving back to the community in a multitude of ways,” Mr Gee said.
“It’s great to have Minister Canavan here today supporting the local resources sector, which supports the electorate of Calare,” Mr Gee concluded.
