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IN THIS EDITION: • Blast-off for Byerwen • Cannington enters new era • JCU’s engineering edge • Old hand on the Hann

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COVER IMAGE: Abbot Point near Bowen will be the export gateway for the Byerwen coal project - among the CQ operations highlighted in a special feature this edition.

FEATURING

July 2015

3 Chinova leads the way

10 Industry Leaders

22

Investment in an open-cut operation in north-west

14 Between Shifts

Lift and Shift

Queensland is a much-needed show of confidence.

15 Equipment Review

5 Fatal accidents peak

16 South32 feature

The annual Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety

18 Building Mining Communities

Conference will open next month amid concerns over an

19 Living Remotely

increase in mining deaths.

20 QMIHSC Preview

6 Adani reaction

22 Lift and Shift

Emotions ranged across the spectrum from outrage to joy with news that Adani had taken a large step back from its

Queensland Industry Advocate

24 CQ Operations

tel: (07) 4755 0336 fax: (07) 4755 0338

Carmichael coal mine and associated development.

27 Local Government

Managing editor: Robert Dark 0417 623 156

8-9

Sales: Jennifer Smith 0410 163 094

Sugar spend

28 Our Mining Heritage

Client Services: Marion Lago 0414 225 621

Featuring Mackay Sugar’s $100m investment in

Journalist: Belinda Humphries 0439 726 074

maintenance and capital works and MSF Sugar’s $20m

Graphics: Jim Thorogood 0418 790 745

investment in process control at the South Johnstone

Email: info@miningadvocate.com.au Postal: PO Box 945, Townsville, Q, 4810

and Mulgrave mills.

Advertising booking deadline for the Sept 2015 edition: Wed 19 Aug All material is copyright and cannot be reproduced in part or in full by any means without written permission of the managing editor. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher.

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2 NEWS

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

JCU engineering big data future North Queensland engineering is taking on the brave new world of big data through ground-breaking course offerings at James Cook University.

A new major in electronic systems and the internet of things is being offered through the university’s Cairns campus from 2016 as part of the Bachelor of Engineering.

JCU’s College of Science, Technology and Engineering Dean, Professor Paul Dirks, said the major would focus on the fast-growing field of sensor technologies and the “big data” being generated.

Any projection of the future flagged the importance of these factors, yet there was not a single undergraduate program focused on the internet of things in Australia at the moment, Professor Dirks said.

“We’ve seen an increase in enrolments for double degrees in engineering and IT, so there’s really a market opportunity there,” he said.

Professor Dirks said entrepreneurship would be a key element of the course to help engineers identify and tap the myriad commercial opportunities arising from interconnectivity and data collected.

Sensors in everything from smart phones to city buildings and mining fleets were constantly collecting data which could be harnessed in new ways, he said.

HP Enterprise Group master strategist, cloud and emerging solutions, Les Pall said the new JCU course definitely reflected future skills demand, with industry experience indicating a huge desire to create value from the information that was out there.

“We have more and more devices with sensors on them - that includes smart phones but also instrumentation, smart tags, wearables – and that is creating an opportunity to harvest data at massive scale and get greater insight into the data to solve contemporary business problems,” he said.

Mr Pall cited the example of a far north Queensland engineer who was working on technology that allowed robots to go through a farm and identify when produce was ready for picking “That requires quite a lot of large-scale data collection and processing and then analytic application to make sense of it,” Mr Pall said.

Based in Townsville and Cairns, JCU has recently

Professor Paul Dirks from JCU with HP Enterprise Group’s Les Pall.

undergone a comprehensive restructuring exercise centred on the grand challenges facing life in the tropics.

“We have done that exercise for engineering and have picked a number of themes we want to strengthen ourselves in - things

Mining the IoT The resources industry has been among the first to recognise the potential in Internet of Things (IoT) technology.

Komatsu and General Electric recently joined forces to provide bigdata analysis services for mining customers, using IoT technology to boost fleet efficiency, for example.

Under the new partnership, Komatsu will send operational data collected from sensors attached to its mining dump trucks to a GE centre in the US, where it will be processed.

Applications for the resulting information include recommending optimal truck routes and positioning, as well as speed and braking requirements based on the terrain and site conditions.

The Internet of Things refers to the growing global network of physical objects – including machines – embedded with electronics, software, sensors and connectivity.

Information technology research and advisory company Gartner forecasts 25 billion connected things will be in use by 2020.

This compares to an estimated 4.9 billion connected things in use in 2015, up 30 per cent from 2014.

A recent Gartner international survey found more than 40 per cent of organisations expect the IoT to have a significant impact in the short term, and this number rises to more than 60 per cent in the long term.

ARCHIMEDES

ENGINEERING

like energy systems, sustainable development, natural resources and extreme events,” Professor Dirks said.

“We have come up with groupings that are no longer traditional engineering disciplines but mix up

Graphic: solarseven/shutterstock.com

engineering and sciences around these themes.”

The College of Science, Technology and Engineering offers majors in civil, mechanical, chemical and electrical engineering as well as the new Cairns campus offering

of electronic systems and the internet of things.

“Next year we’re hoping to start a program in civil engineering in Singapore as well and focus that on extreme events in coastal engineering,” Professor Dirks said.

Origin awards Surat Basin camps contract to Morris Morris Corporation has won a three-year contract to supply accommodation services to Origin Energy’s Surat Basin operations.

Morris will provide catering, facilities management and maintenance services to six accommodation villages and to offices, workshops and sewage treatment plants.

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Morris was conscious of

delivering cost savings and efficiencies, chief executive officer Fiona Berkin said.

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“We know that this is only the beginning of the journey with Origin and we need to work hand in glove with them over the next few years to improve our service offering and lower total costs.”

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3

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

NEWS

Pit plan extends Osborne life Owners are investing $50m in a project set to keep the copper-gold mine running Chinova Resources has approved an open-pit operation that will keep its Osborne site running for two years after underground mining winds up in September.

General manager operations Neal Valk said the company was investing about $50 million in the project, which would also assist in site rehabilitation by providing overburden material to cover tailings storage facilities.

“This is a positive for the Osborne site and for north-west Queensland,” he said.

“Even though the profile of the people working on site will change from underground to open pit, at least we will have employment for about 150 people for the next two years.”

Chinova Resources was in discussion with two shortlisted tenderers for the open-pit mining contract, Mr Valk said.

The Osborne copper-gold mine, about 150km south

of Cloncurry, started its life 19 years ago as an open-pit operation.

The current underground operations involve contractor Pybar mining the Kulthor and Osborne ore bodies at a rate of about 150,000 tonnes per month.

This will come to an end in early September.

The new open-pit and rehabilitation project will mine along strike from the site’s original pit as well as going deeper.

“They will be mining back over the old workings to some extent,” Mr Valk said.

He said Chinova Resources was expecting to bring about two and a half million tonnes of ore to the surface for treatment through the new project, with a relatively low grading around 0.9 per cent copper.

“That will supply the mill for about 21-22 months,” he said.

The Osborne copper-gold mine, about 150km south of Cloncurry.

The mill will shut down between September this year and about February 2016 while prestrip work is carried out.

Mr Valk said the workforce on site would be reduced to the equivalent of a care and maintenance operation during

that time, with the Chinova employees expected to drop from 110 to about 40.

While Chinova Resources has a number of other projects in the Cloncurry area, including the Mt Elliott copper-gold site, Mr Valk said there was nothing in

development to provide further feed for the Osborne plant at this stage.

The company also holds the world’s highest grade known molybdenum and rhenium deposit – the Merlin project, to the north of Osborne mine.

Chinese backing to bring Little Eva online A Chinese construction group has agreed to sink $US214 million ($280 million) into bringing Altona Mining’s Cloncurry copper project to production, paving the way for about 280 new operational jobs.

The new joint venture aims to develop a mine at the Little Eva deposit within that project, 95km north-east of Mount Isa, which is expected to involve $294 million in capital costs to start up.

Altona Mining managing director Alistair Cowden said it would take until

early 2016 to conclude financing with the Chinese partner, with construction likely to start six months later.

Mr Cowden said Altona preferred to go local where possible for workforce and supply needs, but only if the skill it sought was there and the price was competitive “We understand that locals usually make the best and most stable employees and that the best thing we can do for a local community is to make it vibrant

with jobs and people,” he said.

The newly concluded binding framework agreement would see Sichuan Railway Investment Group (SRIG) hold a 60 per cent interest in the Cloncurry project in return for its contribution, while Altona will contribute $US38 million ($50 million).

A definitive feasibility study in 2014 for the Little Eva development anticipated the construction of a 7mtpa open-pit mine and flotation plant

capable of producing 39,000 tonnes per annum copper and 17,000 ounces gold over an initial mine life of 11 years.

Mount Isa deputy mayor and Mount Isa Mining Supplies manager Brett Peterson described the investment deal for Little Eva as the sort of good news the region had needed for quite some time.

• The good news continues with QCoal letting tenders on its Byerwen coal project - More on page 24.

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4 NEWS

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

Cap Coast construction opportunity Council releases plans for foreshore works worth more than $30m over three years Livingstone Shire Council aims to roll out another $30 million in civil and construction works over the next three to five years as it continues a major foreshore overhaul across Yeppoon and Emu Park.

Work is under way on Stage 3 of the Yeppoon foreshore redevelopment – an $8 million raft of projects including a water play feature, an upgrade of the amphitheatre and the ground floor stage of a multi-level carpark.

It has been jointly funded by the council and State Government.

Livingstone Mayor Bill Ludwig said Stages 4 and 5 would include turning a section of Anzac Parade along the beachfront into a low-speed shared zone, channeling traffic into nearby Barry St and adding further floors to the carpark, which could provide as many as 700 car spaces.

“If we are successful in getting government funding for stages 4 and 5, that’s when those big construction jobs will go out. Tenders will be able to go out for all of those

An artist’s impression of the water play feature, designed by Vee Design and David Joffe from Natureworks, which is being built by JM Kelly Builders.

Bill Ludwig Livingstone Shire mayor

components, from civil works for the reconfiguration of the road networks to construction of at least the first two storeys of that carpark,” he said.

“We’re expecting that towards the end of next calendar year, subject to getting State and federal funding. These are the sorts of projects that need to go ahead, that have been flagged by the Prime Minister

(in the Northern Australia White Paper) - the tourism infrastructure that we are going to need to grow that market here.”

Cr Ludwig said the council was also aiming to establish a lagoon and fisherman’s wharfstyle restaurant complex at Yeppoon with private sector backing.

The council is also focusing on Emu Park, where it opened the Centenary of Anzac commemorative precinct this year, including a headland boardwalk.

“We want to be rolling out stage 2 and 3 of that project next year as well,” Cr Ludwig said.

“We will have two signature

projects at either end of the Capricorn Coast. While we’re waiting for the Great Keppel Island redevelopment to go ahead, we’ll be putting attractions on the mainland to generate tourism jobs and help rebuild after Cyclone Marcia.”

The planned Emu Park works would include the final stages of CBD revitalisation work and a further stretch of boardwalk.

The overall redevelopment of Yeppoon and Emu Park foreshores is expected to cost about $60 million, including the stages already completed.

“The long-term plan is to have a beachfront development and attraction here that will be as good as the major success stories of The Strand in Townsville,

the foreshore redevelopment in Cairns and, of course, the Airlie Beach redevelopment,” Cr Ludwig said.

Not only would these developments boost tourism, Cr Ludwig said they would add to the area’s attraction as a place to live and do business.

The works complement a wave of private development in Yeppoon including the Echelon, Oshen and Salt apartment complexes and major refurbishments of the Strand Hotel and Keppel Bay Sailing Club.

• More local government stories – Page 27

Award for modelling closer to reality Technology developed by Ergon Energy that creates a virtual version of the real world to allow inspection and assessment of electricity networks has received the 2015 International Edison Award.

The Remote Observation Automated Modelling Economic Simulation (ROAMES) technology played an integral role in Ergon’s network restoration efforts following Tropical Cyclone Marcia in the Rockhampton and Capricorn Coast areas in February.

Ergon Energy chief executive Ian McLeod said the international honour from the US-based Edison Electric Institute was tremendous recognition for everyone at Ergon who had developed the ROAMES Virtual World Asset Management System.

“ROAMES technology is an

aircraft-based laser and imaging capture system which quickly and efficiently maps a network,” Mr McLeod said.

“ROAMES creates a virtual version of the real world to allow the fast and accurate inspection and assessment of electricity networks and the surrounding environment, particularly vegetation, without the need to deploy field crews.

“Today ROAMES continues to help us save millions annually in vegetation management. It contributes to a more reliable electricity supply, creates a safer working environment for crews, and helps get the lights back on to communities more quickly after a natural disaster.”

Edison Electric Institute president Tom Kuhn said the innovative technology had the potential for broad application within and beyond the electric

power industry. Dutch multinational Fugro purchased the ROAMES technology last year and now provides the

service under a contractual agreement with Ergon and also to other utilities in Australia and overseas.

Network damage in the Byfield area north of Yeppoon, mapped using the ROAMES technology after Tropical Cyclone Marcia passed through the area in February.

5

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

NEWS

Fatalities spark safety questions Concern that experience goes as workers retrenched amid an upsurge in mine deaths Authorities fear the drive to cut costs and boost mine productivity may be having lethal fallout, with Queensland’s resources industry suffering its worst spate of fatalities in almost 20 years.

The state suffered two deaths at hard rock mines and four in coal operations in the 12 months to June this year.

Department of Natural Resources and Mines Deputy Director-General for mine safety and health Paul Harrison said this was the worst 12-month period for mining deaths since 1997 and a major cause for concern.

The circumstances of the fatal accidents were varied and Mr Harrison said there was no evidence the rise was related the belt-tightening across operations.

“But it’s an issue we have to look long and hard at,” he said.

Mr Harrison is chair of the 2015 Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference, being held at the Townsville Entertainment and

Convention Centre from August 16 to 18.

He believes the major safety issue facing the industry at the moment is the question of how to keep focused on safety when there is such an emphasis on cutting costs and increasing productivity While there was a concern that safety programs may be trimmed, Mr Harrison said there was also potential for more indirect health and safety ramifications.

“What does a focus on costcutting and productivity have on attitude of the workforce? Does it have people thinking more about that than the safety side of things?” he said.

The department was also concerned about the loss of knowledge on sites as experienced workers left amid the waves of retrenchments, Mr Harrison said.

Industry safety and health representative for the CFMEU – Queensland Mining and Energy Division, Greg Dalliston,

Paul Harrison Department of Natural Resources and Mines Deputy Director-General for mine safety and health

also raised concerns about the experience and qualifications of people being placed in supervisory roles on mine sites.

He argued that cost cutting was definitely having an impact on safety standards.

But Mr Dalliston said he was hopeful the new Labor government in Queensland would better support mines

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inspectors who drew attention to safety problems at mining operations.

In a statement, a Queensland Resources Council spokesman said that body was deeply saddened by the recent fatalities and stressed that the safety of workers in the industry would always be regarded as paramount by members.

“QRC members firmly believe that nothing is more important than the safety of workers and that includes productivity and efficiency,” he said.

QRC, along with government, examined each case in an effort to identify any apparent commonality of causes and lessons to be learned from serious accidents, he said.

“QRC has also been discussing effective strategies of ensuring the safety message gets through to all levels of the organisation with the necessary intensity and level of commitment.”

Mr Harrison said the Mines Inspectorate was looking for opportunities to have more interaction with industry and be more proactive.

“We’ve been running some seminars in central Queensland for open-cut examiners, as an

example, and we’ve had a very good response,” he said.

Mr Harrison said the Mines Inspectorate would be participating with the QRC in a high-level safety forum with company management in the next few months as well as in the annual Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference.

Organisers hope to attract as many participants as the 2014 event, just over 600, but Mr Harrison conceded this may be a little optimistic in the face of an industry downturn.

QMIHSC organisers have condensed this year’s format to stretch across two weekdays rather than three.

“Normally we have an opening session on the Sunday evening and run through until lunchtime on Wednesday,” Mr Harrison said.

“This time we’re starting around midday Sunday with a panel discussion and then finishing with the dinner on Tuesday.”

• See our QMIHSC feature on pages 20 and 21.

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6 NEWS

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

Adani Mining threw the cat among the pigeons when it halted work by four major engineering contractors on elements of its Carmichael coal project recently.

The Guardian broke the news with a story that included comments from Tim Buckley of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, who said stopping work at this stage “just crucifies the project, it all goes out the window”.

Adani pointed to changes in the timelines for a range of approvals as the reason behind the decision to halt work on the $16 billion project, which includes a thermal coal mine in the Galilee Basin north-west of Clermont as well as rail and port infrastructure to allow exports via Abbot Point near Bowen.

The story attracted many comments on the Australian Mining website, which has reported regularly on the criticism and court challenges Adani has faced from environmentalists and Indigenous landholders.

Writing online, Ian questioned who the winners would be if the project failed to take off – “No jobs for Qld. No royalties for Qld. No jobs or benefits for local Aboriginal population. Continued energy poverty for millions of Indians.

Winners?”

There was much discussion about the company’s history, the viability of the thermal coal project and the protracted dramas over dredging for the coal export facilities.

“A dud project which won’t fly financially without taxpayers from Australia or India underwriting it” – wrote Robdo.

The Mackay Conservation Group played it straight on its Facebook page on June 24 with a line announcing the breaking news that engineering works for Carmichael had been suspended and a link to The Guardian’s story.

Followers were not so shy: “Yay, yay, yay, yippee, yay” – wrote Lesley N Nye Keegan.

Eric Bowden – “have they finally come to their senses and seen what has been said for years,- that the mine cannot be viable with the trends in coal?

Have they realised that to banks financing is a poison chalice?”

The Mackay-based Resource Industry Network called on government to move urgently to re-engage with Adani to resolve the outstanding approval issues.

“Adani has invested significant time, energy and money ($3.1billion to date) to progress the project only to be held up by red tape and lack of clarity in process,” chairman Tony Caruso said.

“The jobs the mine would have created during construction and in operation are well documented, but more concerning is to lose the opportunity for the known flow-on contributions for the region through the engagement of the local supply chain, contract roles, manufacturing, engineering, mechanical and maintenance services as well as the many allied professional services. ” Professor Tim Flannery – chief councillor on the Climate Council - told the ABC the mine did not make economic or environmental sense.

Meanwhile the Queensland Resources Council reported figures earlier in June showing the State’s coal industry was on track to break new export records for 2014/15.

It also cited a recent report by the Office of the Chief Economist in the Federal Industry Department showing construction of new coal-fired power stations in India would increase demand for high quality thermal coal.

In a statement on its decision to suspend preparatory work

by WorleyParsons and Aecon, Aurecon and SMEC, Adani said it had maintained a level of investment, jobs and sub-contractor engagement in the past six to 12 months in anticipation of finalising approvals and decisions.

“As a result of changes to a range of approvals over that time, it’s necessary to synchronise our budget, project timelines and spending to meet those changes.

“Adani has made a commitment to build a longterm future with Queensland that will deliver 10,000 jobs and $22 billion in royalties and taxes that will be reinvested back into community services.

“However, it is important to note we are now into the fifth year of development and approvals and therefore the need to finalise those approvals and timelines is critical.”

Award winner Paul Fogarty with CCF Queensland president Damian Long. Photo: Michael Warrington

CCF recognises BMD boss BMD Constructions national general manager – infrastructure, Paul Fogarty, has been honoured for his role as an industry leader by Civil Contractors Federation Queensland.

Mr Fogarty won the President’s Award at CCF Queensland’s recent 2015 Industry Leaders and Training Awards – an event that recognises the industry’s top trainees, apprentices and employers.

Mr Fogarty is a past CCF Queensland president who helped launch the Doorways-2-Civil Construction Program in collaboration with Construction Skills Queensland.

The awards also recognised Michael Pipe from Shamrock Civil

Engineering with an individual award for outstanding commitment to training and skill development.

Civil Mining and Construction won the employer award for that category, while Ray Onuk from Civil Unlimited was named as trainee/apprentice of the year.

Other winners included: Joseph Whitney – Coops Drainage & Civil (trainee/apprentice encouragement award), Jemma Everett – Kirwan State High School (Certificate II Resources and infrastructure work preparation trainee of the year), Joseph Herbert – Dormway (Certificate III civil construction – pipe laying trainee of the year).

Registration as insurance A recent court ruling on unsatisfactory supervision of an unregistered engineer in Ipswich has fuelled a new awareness campaign throughout Queensland.

The Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland has approved a stakeholder engagement and communication strategy to raise awareness of the Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ) system and educate engineers about their professional obligations.

In order to carry out an engineering service in Queensland or for a Queensland-based project, the Professional Engineers Act 2002 requires that an engineer be registered or under the direct supervision of a RPEQ. Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland chairman Dawson Wilkie said this did not mean the RPEQ was required to constantly watch over an unregistered engineer carrying out an engineering service.

However, the board expected regular and comprehensive communication between the pair, he said.

“For direct supervision to occur, both parties should keep detailed records of their communication (emails, phone conversations), log any face-to-face meetings and converse regularly

regarding the engineering service or project,” Mr Wilkie said.

He said a decision handed down in the Ipswich Magistrates Court early this year had provided an important judicial interpretation on the standard of supervision required.

The case involved a non-registered engineer based in Ipswich who claimed to be supervised by a RPEQ who was based in Victoria, he said.

“The non-RPEQ was engaged to design a slab and footing system and first-floor beam/framing system,” Mr Wilkie said.

The engineers were unable to provide sufficient evidence of supervision and engagement, with the unregistered engineer being fined $5000 and ordered to pay costs of $25,000.

7

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

REGIONAL ROUND-UP Cape York

Cairns

Metallica expects to ship its first zircon-rutile concentrate from the Urquhart Heavy Minerals Sands project by the end of the year.

Construction is set to commence in July on a $6.5-$7million mining operation, and the HMS process plant is scheduled to begin production in September.

Metallica has also announced a maiden 7.5 million-tonne inferred resource, averaging 51 per cent total aluminium oxide, at its nearby Urquhart Bauxite Project.

The deposit includes high-grade material suitable for direct shipping.

“We have every expectation, based on current global bauxite market fundamentals, that the Urquhart Bauxite Project’s development schedule will match increasingly positive bauxite market sales demand in 2016 and beyond,” Metallica managing director Andrew Gillies said.

BSE Maritime Solutions is joining forces with Norship Marine and others to win a major tender under Australia’s Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project.

The project involves the construction of up to 21 steel-hulled patrol vessels worth an estimated $594 million, in addition to $1.38 billion in maintenance and support services over 30 years.

BSE Maritime Solutions owner Justin Parer said the company’s commitment to establishing Cairns as a hub for shipbuilding, maintenance and repair was perfectly aligned to the Federal Government’s pledge to develop Northern Australia.

“Cairns has a rich naval shipbuilding heritage, including building of the 14 Fremantle Class patrol boats in our refit sheds in 1988, and we intend to further enhance this reputation for maritime excellence in North Queensland,” he said.

Lindeman Island Georgetown A new memorandum of understanding (MOU) has paved the way for a $2 billion agricultural project in the Gilbert River catchment.

The State Government recently released details of the MOU with Integrated Food and Energy Developments (IFED), the proponents of the proposed Etheridge Integrated Agriculture Project.

The proposal involves diverting water from the Einasleigh and Etheridge rivers into two artificial off-stream lakes to support sugar and guar cropping, grazing, meat processing and aquaculture activities.

IFED chairman Keith DeLacy told The Cairns Post the MOU would provide a link between the EIS, which was already started, and a water allocation.

“We will now move forward at 100 miles per hour,” he said.

White Horse Australia has gained “co-ordinated project” status for its planned $600 million redevelopment of Lindeman Island resort.

State Development Minister Anthony Lynham said the project was the first co-ordinated project in Queensland in 18 months.

“This marks the beginning of a process, including comprehensive environmental impact assessment, towards a development that could create more than 800 construction jobs a year over a four-year construction period,” he said.

“When the resort is in full swing, it could maintain 300 ongoing operational jobs.”

The White Horse proposal includes about 335 suites and villas across five resort precincts, a central village, a 50-berth marina and an upgrade of the existing private airstrip to provide for allweather access and to allow small jet landings.

Gladstone Research from the Gladstone Engineering Alliance has found at least $4.4 million dollars in wages has left the region due to business closures in the last year.

The GEA data indicated that 27 businesses in the city had closed from July 2014 to June 2015 and at least 134 employees had lost their jobs.

The businesses ranged from The Sex Shop and Wendy’s to engineering consultants Clough Amec and Gladstone Pressure Welders.

Engineers Australia Gladstone spokesman Andrew Hopkinson told The Observer that the money in Gladstone was drying up. “If the engineering has dried up then projects just won’t start,” he said.

Mount Isa Glencore has yet to decide whether it will extend the life of its copper smelter beyond 2016 despite favourable legislative changes passed through the Queensland Parliament.

The North West Star reported on a recent community forum, which was told the company needed to take into account the economics of processing in China as well as environmental issues and the Mount Isa economy.

The newspaper said Copper Assets North Queensland chief operating officer Mike Westerman had explained that power and refractory bricks were expensive and there was not much of a profit margin when compared with shipping ore to China.

State Parliament in June passed legislation to allow for the cancellation of Transitional Environmental Programs (TEPs) on air and water quality.

Member for Mount Isa Rob Katter said the TEP for the copper smelter specifically stated that it would cease operation at the end of 2016, so its cancellation would allow for the negotiation of an ongoing approval for the facility.

Ravenswood

Dalby

The State Government has funded work to backfill and repair about 180 abandoned mine shafts near the historic gold rush town of Ravenswood.

Natural Resources and Mines Minister Anthony Lynham said local contractors had completed the work, just off the Burdekin Dam Falls Rd, in late June.

“The site is old gold diggings next to an adjoining property that is popular for fossicking,” Dr Lynham said.

“Some of the old mine shafts there are 20 to 30m deep and might not be easily seen by visitors moving about the area.”

Abandoned mine remediation projects are also being planned for sites at Croydon and further works in Ravenswood during the second half of 2015.

Mine shaft repair programs have been operating in the historic mining communities of Charters Towers since 1996 and Gympie since 1990.

Major retailers in Dalby are free to trade on Sundays following a ruling by the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission.

The ruling to allow non-exempt stores in the town to trade seven days a week came into effect on May 31.

This was despite objections by Western Downs Regional Council and others that the move would hurt small businesses in Dalby.

Advance Western Downs News Monitor said the National Retailers Association (NRA), which applied for the Sunday trading shift, had argued that extended trading hours were necessary to prevent Dalby losing business to nearby seven-day trading regions, principally Toowoomba.

Coles, Woolworths, Big W and Target are among the local stores affected by the decision to lift restrictions in Dalby.

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8 NEWS

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

Mackay Sugar’s Marion Mill

Spending boost to improve mills Mackay Sugar plans a $100 million boost in spending on maintenance and capital works projects across its mills over the next five years.

Chief executive officer Quinton Hildebrand said the company had recently diverted much of its earnings towards its cogeneration project, built for $120 million at the Racecourse Mill site in Mackay three years ago. “That is generating good returns and we’re now focusing on lifting the condition of our milling assets,� he said. “We have quite a lot of plans which we are formulating at this stage which will see an increase in the capital and maintenance spend over the next five years.�

While specific projects were still being identified, he said there were efficiencies to be gained at the back end of the factories to improve the processing side of operations and that maintenance was required on a number of bridges. “They are mostly ‘stay in business’ projects, but with some efficiency enhancement,�

Mr Hildebrand said. “I would

recently underwent major works on the milling trains and had two cooling towers replaced with one large high-

say over the next five years we’d be looking in the region of $100 million capital and maintenance – above our current maintenance levels (of about $40 million annually).�

He said also Mackay Sugar was working on several fronts to increase its cane supply, so it would need to ensure the mills were capable of processing the increased volume and maximising returns from that.

This should provide additional work for the engineering firms who provided services to Mackay Sugar, Mr Hildebrand said.

He said the Mackay area enjoyed the benefits of a strong engineering base – a legacy of the mining boom – and that the slowdown in the coal sector meant many were very competitive in seeking sugar industry work at the moment.

Mackay Sugar spent about $44.6 million on maintenance and $29.6 million on capital works across its four mills in the 12 months to June this year, including work on rolling stock and rail structure.

Mossman Mill started

capacity tower.

crushing in early May after extensive maintenance work on the milling train and the Babcock boiler. EDMS Australia’s Cairns-based business completed the boiler work.

An $11 million boiler project has been completed at Fairleigh Mill in the Mackay district by WDT Engineers.

Mr Hildebrand said extensive work was being carried out at

Racecourse Mill to convert the evaporator train from a quintuple to a quadruple evaporator effect, while the major investment at Marian Mill had been on the milling trains and a new cooling tower.

The $2.6 million project to replace two cooling towers with one large high-capacity tower was carried out by Hamon Australia.

Wulguru Group is flash in the pan department Rebuilding mill components more than 40 years old created extra challenges in a recent Wulguru Group project at the South Johnstone sugar mill.

The new tubing for Pan 8 had to be custom made at a steel mill due to the fact their design had been based on imperial measures, he said.

The team was working on Pan 1 and Pan 8 at the far north Queensland mill, which is undergoing a major overhaul.

“We had to get the steel mill to change the rolling process and roll out about 32 tonnes of imperial-size tubes to do the job,� he said.

The pans – where molasses product is heated – were originally installed in the mid-50s and mid-70s, according to Wulguru Group project engineer Glen Carr.

Mr Carr said the Pan 8 rebuild involved cutting out 2376 tubes and replacing them, while Pan 1 had 96 tubes to strip out and manifolds to be replaced.

Pan 8 at South Johnstone sugar mill.

WULGURU GROUP

“They came up in 6m lengths which we cut to size in Townsville.�

For Pan 1, Wulguru Group sourced the closest sized pipe and rolled it to the required dimensions.

“It (Pan 1) was an older style horizontal pan built in the mid-50s and it had the older style imperial size pipes, bolts and cast copper housing. It was a massive undertaking,� Mr Carr said.

Mr Carr said getting almost 2500 new tubes up to the third floor of the mill to carry out the work, while many other contactors were also busy on site, was the most difficult aspect of the job.

The rigging work involved to pull out the components had been intense, he said.

The pan rebuild was successfully completed at South Johnstone mill after about 6000 man hours of work.

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9

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

NEWS

Green light for automation work MSF Sugar is spending about $20 million to increase automation at its South Johnston and Mulgrave mills in far north Queensland in time for the 2017 crush.

The company also recently approved an $18.4 million capital upgrade at the Mulgrave Mill, Gordonvale, with work to take place in the fourth quarter of this year to install new bagasse bins and a new conveyor.

MSF Sugar general manager business development, Hywel Cook, said the company’s $20 million investment in process control at South Johnstone and Mulgrave followed a successful shift to automation at its Tableland mill, about 25km west of Mareeba.

He said that mill, which underwent a $42 million upgrade two years ago, would be the most automated sugar mill in Queensland.

“It’s our lowest manning factory - we operate the whole factory with 32 people, that’s five people per shift,” he said.

“We also get the lowest number of unscheduled stops and most consistent sugar quality.”

The work planned for South Johnstone and Mulgrave would mean more control valves, more instrumentation and the ability to co-ordinate mill operations from one central control room rather than a number of control rooms.

“We need to scope up exactly what we’re going to do, so that is something we will be doing over the remainder of this year ready to start installation in 2016,” Mr Cook said.

MSF Sugar hoped to have the required equipment fully installed for the 2017 crushing season, he said.

While much of the instrumentation was very specialised and would be sourced globally, Mr Cook said there would be electrical engineering and installation work opportunities available for local suppliers.

Meanwhile, he said MSF Sugar was already in negotiations with local suppliers over the recently approved $18.4 million capital upgrade for the Mulgrave mill.

The primary aim of the project - installing two new bagasse bins and a new bagasse

A view of the Tableland Mill central control room, where an MSF Sugar employee operates and monitors the entire factory process by computer model and with camera images.

conveyor – was to better utilise cane fibres for generation of electricity.

However the work was also potentially a precursor to developing a major cogeneration facility on the site.

Mr Cook said MSF Sugar had small cogeneration plants at its mills, operating at about 25MW capacity.

“We could more than

quadruple that if we put in more efficient cogeneration facilities,” he said.

This would involve building three new cogeneration plants at an approximate cost of $300 million.

The company’s other big-ticket capital works include plans to install a large cooling tower at South Johnstone over the next 18 months. MSF Sugar is

half-way through a $60 million upgrade at its South Johnstone mill, with a four-year work program including replacing sugar crushing equipment and crystallisation units.

Mr Cook said the company had also spent about $20 million in general maintenance works across its far north Queensland mills in preparation for the 2015 crush.

10 INDUSTRY LEADERS

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

Queen of the roads

Just for the skill of it

Kristy Hows Moving from a technical, engineering-focused role into a more peoplefocused leadership position has been among Kristy Hows’ greatest challenges in a 15year career with the Department of Transport and Main Roads.

Ms Hows is the department’s North West District director, ensuring the delivery of projects and services for a 307,833sq km patch of Queensland.

Based in Cloncurry, the district office consists of 39 personnel and will have a budget of more than $50 million in the coming year.

Ms Hows said she had been adapting over the past year to her new job, and found that collaboration and getting the right people in the right positions was important to success.

“My main thing has been being able to trust in those I work with and that they trust me as well in setting the direction in which we’re headed,” Ms Hows said.

Ms Hows grew up in regional Queensland, living in towns such as Moranbah, Blackwater, Gladstone and Tieri due to her father’s employment as a concrete worker in the mining industry.

With a talent for maths and science, she said it had seemed like a natural progression to go into the engineering field “where I knew there was a lot of work around and it was a good lifestyle.”

After graduating from Central Queensland University with a bachelor of engineering (civil) in 1999, she has worked in a range of TMR roles statewide.

Ms Hows said she

Justin Barnes counted her latest role as the greatest highlight in that career, as she felt she had built a productive, efficient workplace that was a positive environment for employees.

“That has been really rewarding and just so different from anything I’ve done before,” she said.

Other high points included her work as project manager for a Bribie Island road upgrade, which she credited with building her negotiating skills, and the paving and sealing of the Roma-Taroom Rd, which was delivered under a very tight budget.

Ms Hows – who has two sons aged 5 and 7 – believed working in a regional town such as Cloncurry offered a good work-life balance as well as the satisfaction of seeing directly how your work benefited the community.

A leaning toward learning has seen Rockhampton boy Justin Barnes embrace a career in training.

Mr Barnes recently started work as Energy Skills Queensland’s industry skills advisor for resources after more than 12 years of mining and electrotechnology training experience.

The new position follows what Mr Barnes describes as the highlight of his career to date – being supervisor for training and development for the new BMA Caval Ridge and Daunia coal operations in central Queensland.

The greenfield sites provided an opportunity to influence workforce culture from scratch and set a new benchmark for safety and efficiency, Mr Barnes said.

“We successfully implemented new training systems and on-boarded over 1100 new employees ahead of schedule and under budget,” he said.

“That was very interesting and, given the current environment, a very rare opportunity.”

Mr Barnes has also worked as training and development supervisor for BMA’s Norwich Park mine and spent eight years before that with Ergon Energy. His experience at Ergon included developing new training programs and systems.

“I’ve always had a keen interest in learning and keeping my learning going, so it was a natural process for me to enjoy teaching and upskilling others,” Mr Barnes said. “The opportunity arose when I was at Ergon Energy to do that, to facilitate programs, and that led me into the development of programs.”

Mr Barnes said his role at ESQ would involve engaging with industry, training organisations and government to develop and implement sustainable workforce development strategies for the resource sector.

This would include investigating if there were any new programs or initiatives that could be developed to help the resources sector fill any skilling gaps, he said.

Mr Barnes described himself as a Rockhampton boy - born and bred – and said he had lived there most of his life apart from a short stint in England and in Dysart for work.

He has been living in Brisbane for the past three years. Outside of work, Mr Barnes enjoys spending time with his wife and three children, including camping trips, as well as surfing and cooking.

11

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

NEWS

2015 start for Wateranga works Owner eyes Chinese market for quality ilmenite from open-pit operation Queensland Industrial Minerals hopes to begin earthmoving and early infrastructure works by the end of the year at its Wateranga minerals project, 30km south-east of Mt Perry in southern Queensland.

Ilmenite – used to manufacture titanium pigments and metals – is among QIM’s target minerals at the deposit, which also contains magnetite, zircon, feldspar, apatite and corundum.

QIM chairman David Li said the company had acquired its draft environmental approval for the Wateranga project in September 2014 and recently

applied for its mining lease.

The open-pit project, expected to require $20 million in capital works, could be commissioned as soon as July 2016, he said.

“The tenders and contracts will be issued in due course,” Mr Li said.

Ore will be processed on site through gravity and magnetic separation circuits before the mineral product is trucked to Bundaberg port.

Mr Li said QIM was committed to negotiate with parties including landholders, local councils and the Department of Transport

and Main Roads regarding compensation for any disturbance.

While ilmenite prices were currently at the lower end of the market, Mr Li said they were still faring better than conventional bulk resources such as coal and iron ore.

“QIM can gain profit based on the advanced mining and processing method,” he said.

“Quality ilmenite like QIM’s product is still attractive to the downstream pigment manufacturers in China, as the majority of the Chinese domestic mines cannot produce the same quality as ours.”

Ilmenite prices were forecast to steadily increase to 2020, when they were expected to reach $US181 per tonne (free

Drilling at the Wateranga project in southern Queensland.

on board), Mr Li said. He said the Wateranga project was likely to employ 20-30 people in its operational phase.

QIM believes the Wateranga

resource is sufficient for a mine life in excess of 25 years at an annual mining rate of 1.8 million tonnes in the central tenement.

New gas project plans Early planning is under way for a new coal seam gasfield development north of Roma and Wallumbilla in Queensland.

Senex Energy plans to spend $40 million on the Western Surat Gas Project in its first three years, with on-theground work to start this financial year and first gas production targeted by the end of 2017.

Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise chief executive officer Shane Charles welcomed Senex’s plans for a new CSG development as a vote of confidence in the Surat Basin’s long-term energy

prosperity. Senex Energy managing director and chief executive officer Ian Davies said the project was in the early planning phase – involving stakeholder engagement, concept engineering studies and environmental impact assessment for the project.

While the current environmental impact assessment applications allowed for the staged drilling of up to 1000 wells over about 30 years, he said Senex expected the level of development activity to be significantly less over that timeframe.

Mr Davies said it was difficult to provide

an estimate of capital expenditure or workforce requirements at this stage, although he cautioned that the project would not require a significant workforce, particularly prior to final investment decision.

Supply opportunities were also limited at this stage, he said.

The Queensland Government recently released 11,000km sq for exploration expressions of interest (closing in October) to help foster further development of the state’s natural gas resources.

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Emerald miner Shannon Friedrich (left) with brother Nathan.

Miners give it up for leukaemia research The Queensland resources industry raised $365,000 in this year’s World’s Greatest Shave Mining and Energy Challenge, taking the total since 2006 to well over $4 million.

Bechtel Australia raised $126,000 across its three LNG plant construction sites in Gladstone, and its GLNG team was the challenge’s top performer statewide for 2015 - contributing just under $47,000.

Bechtel was also named as the highest fundraiser nationally for World’s Greatest Shave, raising $259,000.

Leukaemia Foundation of Queensland corporate partnerships manager Paul Barnard said he was grateful for the continued support of Queensland’s mines.

“The sector has once again dug deep to meet the World’s Greatest Shave Mining and Energy Challenge and support the 31 Aussies diagnosed each day with a blood cancer,” he said.

“The money raised this year will help fund our life-saving research program and

support many more patients and their families.”

Mr Barnard said 47 mining and energy teams had taken part in World’s Greatest Shave across Queensland this year.

The 2015 campaign was given a boost by the efforts of Emerald miner Shannon Friedrich, who was diagnosed with aggressive stage-four non-Hodgkin lymphoma last year after seeing his GP for a sore hip.

Mr Barnard said Mr Friedrich had acted as the face of this year’s challenge, helping encourage mines to sign up and inspiring them to fundraise.

He has also written personal letters to participating mines, thanking them for their efforts.

While staying at the Leukaemia Foundation’s Clem Jones-Sunland Village in Brisbane in March for treatment, he shaved brother Nathan’s head as part of the World’s Greatest Shave.

12 NEWS

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

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“I’m just sitting here waiting for someone to say ‘let’s start the next section’.

“Inland towns are dying, from both drought and

Flinders River

shortage of employment and development opportunities – they’re all waiting for some sort of impetus to get them out of the doldrums.”

At times, the UAV was up to 200km from the base sites.

Kerry Eaton Surveyor

Hot air or hot asphalt Funding to complete the sealing of the Hann Highway is to be rolled out from July 2017 under the timeframe set out in the Federal Government’s White Paper on Developing Northern Australia, according to Advance Cairns chairman Trent Twomey.

Mr Twomey, a Northern Australia Alliance director, said that group had always pushed for the upgrade funds to be made available to the Etheridge and Flinders shires.

This meant the project would be not only a longterm economic multiplier but bring immediate employment benefits for those communities, he said.

But Etheridge Shire mayor Will Attwood said doubt remained over how the road works would be implemented.

“In other times what has happened is it goes to the State, it then goes to Transport and Main Roads, they then determine how fast they want it done and call for tenders,” Cr Attwood said.

He called for the State Government to issue the work in small parcels below the threshold amount that would require councils to ‘go through the

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Main Roads, seeing the benefits, came to the party with additional funding and a pattern began of upgrading stretches to bitumen on the following flood damaged sections.

Mr Eaton said there was a lot of support in the local towns for having a fully sealed Hann Highway to connect that area of North Queensland through to attractions such as Undara lava tubes, the Atherton Tableland and Cairns.

Many local economies benefited from the “grey nomad” tourists and there were regional projects in the pipeline that would feed off the route, Mr Eaton said.

“It’s amazing how many things you see coming through the news that make you think, ‘gee if the Hann was sealed that would go in nice with that development’,” he said.

These include Genex Power’s proposal to develop the 330MW Kidston Hydro Pumped Storage project on the former Kidston gold mine site near Georgetown.

Windlab has put up plans for phased development of up to 1300MW of renewable energy generation near Hughenden in its Kennedy Wind and Solar Farm project.

The Georgetown area is the site of the $2 billion Etheridge Integrated Agriculture Project, proposed by Integrated Food and Energy Developments (IFED).

Unsealed stretches of the Hann Highway have caused problems for Mr Eaton’s own travels over the years, forcing him to take the longer coast route to his home base in Cairns many times when it has been raining or looked like rain.

The “missing links” for a fully sealed north-to-south inland route include about 100km on the Hann Highway north of

M ht Eig

Surveyor Kerry Eaton believes tackling the last unsealed patches of the Hann Highway in North Queensland is a project whose time has come.

And he should know – having worked on the road for so many years that his wife jokes he will probably end up buried there.

“I’m getting close to retirement now and I always thought I’d see it sealed before I retire,” Mr Eaton said.

The Hann Highway – a stretch of road from The Lynd south to Hughenden – is one section of the Kennedy Developmental Rd, which runs from Mount Garnet down to Winton and Boulia.

The 63-year-old principal of Eaton Engineering Surveys said his first job on the road known as the Hann Highway was in 2001.

“But before that (from the early ’90s) I was working on the section between Hughenden and Winton and used to joke with my offsider that when we reach Hughenden we should just keep going up the Hann,” he said.

Mr Eaton has lost track of how many kilometres of the road he has seen sealed, patch by patch, over the years.

But he said the initial impetus came from a former Flinders Shire engineer, who stretched the brief when it came time to repair some flood damage in 2001.

“When the council were doing some flood damage works they wanted to make sure they did it on an alignment that would be acceptable in future when it got sealed - so we did the survey work to establish an alignment,” Mr Eaton said.

“When we got to the end of (the job), with good gravel pavement finish, Don McIntosh took the big step and actually sealed it.”

rigmarole and costs’ required for certification.

Cr Attwood believed sealing the sections involved would cost about $70 million.

A spokesman for Main Roads Minister Jackie Trad said the Palaszczuk Government would review funding arrangements to seal the Hann Highway, and could make announcements throughout 2015 and early 2016.

“Local councils and the federal government could be involved in progressively sealing this road, subject to funding and the merits of other road projects,” he said. “A delivery strategy could be released when funding details are determined, in accordance with Australian and Queensland government procurement guidelines.”

The spokesman said the paving of unsealed roads was considered on a case-by-case basis, although as a general rule 150 vehicles per day was the minimum traffic required for it to be feasible. Daily traffic on the Hann Highway is between 60 and 92 vehicles. Other factors include heavy vehicle usage, capital and maintenance costs.

UAVs trialled in remote western road surveys Two north-west Queensland councils have collaborated with AECOM to trial unmanned aerial systems (UAS) technology to remotely survey more than 600km of road networks.

The project, conducted in Winton and McKinlay shires in late May, was the first time a long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV ) had been approved to travel beyond the line of sight for road survey purposes, according to AECOM. At times, the UAV was up to 200km from the base sites at Julia Creek and Winton airports.

Photographic data obtained from the trials will be processed with 3D mapping technology, allowing infrastructure assessments in areas where traditional survey methods would be comparatively expensive and time consuming.

McKinlay Shire Mayor Belinda Murphy said the trial could open up a world of opportunities for remote councils.

“We have approximately 2400km of road network within our shire and any new technology that enables us to better manage, improve and provide value for money on this network is a step forward for the council,” she said.

AECOM associate director – transport James Ramsay said the ability to assess road infrastructure assets in remote areas had numerous benefits, especially for councils and the Department of Transport and Main Roads.

“Unmanned aerial systems technology (UAS) decreases the wait time for data availability; cutting out days, weeks or even months compared to using traditional methods,” Mr Ramsay said.

ADVERTORIAL

Prime partners in automation Townsville-based Pacific Rim Technical Services (PRTS) is helping launch new Siemens Automation technology in North Queensland with a series of “lunch and learn� workshops.

PRTS has been representing the German engineering giant for more than 15 years, providing distribution and technical support services for an area stretching from Sarina north to Mossman and west to Mount Isa. PRTS director Greg Fitzgerald said his business had expanded the market for Siemens instrumentation and process control equipment in North Queensland in fields beyond the major industries of mining and sugar milling. “We pushed more into the municipalities, working with councils in water and wastewater treatment plants, as well as working with irrigation and pumping operations and various government bodies in areas such as water monitoring, for example,� Mr Fitzgerald said. “There were organisations buying perhaps different branded products and we were about moving them over to a better value proposition, something more reliable and with a longer life cycle.�

He said the business had grown about 350 per cent in the time PRTS had been

acting as distributor for Siemens.

Providing technical support for the product throughout the North, including advising operations on the best possible solutions for their particular situation and required applications, has been central to this partnership success.

The six-strong PRTS workforce includes three technical staff with combined industry experience of about 60 years.

One of those employees is a field officer who racks up many kilometres visiting clients.

The workshops PRTS has organised in Cairns, Townsville and Mackay in July will introduce Siemens’ S7-1500 PLC (Programmable Logic Controller).

Mr Fitzgerald said the new model was a product upgrade bringing more features including a new programming platform - the TIA Portal.

He said this style of PLC had thousands of applications, being used wherever someone needed to control a process.

Similar Siemens technology was in use at sites as diverse as the new Diamantina Power Station in Mount Isa and the Townsville Bulletin printing press, as well as many mines and sugar mills, he said.

Mr Fitzgerald said the S7-1500 PLC offered a more seamless avenue to automation.

Keeping the lights on‌ Siemens PLC rack at Diamantina Power Station. “The S7-1500 brings more features, higher processing power and TIA (Totally Integrated Automation),â€? he said. “The TIA engineering platform provides a seamless interface between PLC, HMI (Human Machine Interface), VSD and sensor (instrument) whereby the devices downstream of the PLC can be programmed and commissioned through the PLC, saving significant time and money.â€?

The six-hour workshops PRTS is running with Siemens experts in North

Queensland are free to attend but have limited places available (12-16 places in each) as they involve concentrated handson experience with the equipment.

Mr Fitzgerald said participants would each have the chance to take home a S71500 starter kit (valued around $3000) for $550 plus GST. He said Siemens was renowned for its commitment to R&D, engineering its products to a level well above the industry standard. “They never release something that’s

not 150 per cent ready for the market,� Mr Fitzgerald said.

PRTS has been trading for more than 20 years as engineers and suppliers of instrumentation and control products, PLCs and variable speed drives.

In addition to Siemens, the business is an agent for brands including Schmidt Technology, Lambrecht, Danfoss, Burkert, IFM Electronic, Pilz, PTL Hermann, ThermoFisher (Ramsay), WIKA, PR Electronics, Balluff, Yokogawa and Dwyer.

Join the Siemens experts for an in-depth update and hands-on workshop on the latest innovations supported within the engineering framework TIA Portal.

Getting started within the TIA Portal engineering framework Design, conďŹ gure, and online commission PLC, HMI, IO and Drives Integrate drive control into the PLC/ IO and visualize on the HMI

With the TIA Portal, when used in interaction with the current automation hardware from Siemens, you are well equipped for the increasingly rapid market changes, the ever shorter product life cycles and increasing competition plus cost pressure.

TIA Portal seamlessly integrates controllers, distributed I/O, HMI, drives, motion control and motor management into a single engineering environment.

Thanks to its common data management and the smart library concept, comprehensive software and hardware functions efďŹ ciently solve all automation tasks.

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14 BETWEEN SHIFTS

Graham Strang and Milly Cuff (Hip Pocket Workwear and Safety) with Greg Johnson (Australian Events), Anthony Lynham (Queensland Natural Resources and Mines Minister), and Bob Carroll (Australian Events) at Surat Basin Energy and Mining Expo – Toowoomba.

Deirdre Comerford (Mackay Regional Council), Tony Caruso (RIN), Anne Baker (Isaac Regional Council), Greg Martin (Mackay Regional Council) and Kelly Vea Vea (Isaac Regional Council) at the Resource Industry Network 2015 Chairman’s Awards - Mackay.

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

Tony Jones (Hastings Deering), Paul and Chrissi Lews (Hitachi), and Brad Hamilton (Hastings Deering) at IQA NQ Branch Annual Partners Dinner - Townsville.

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Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

EQUIPMENT REVIEW

Vertical lift capacity featured Aussie Pumps has a new range of high-capacity 3” and 4” Drought Buster pumps, powered by Kubota 9.5 hp OC95 electric-start air and oil-cooled diesel engines.

The pumps offer fast self-priming, with vertical lifts from creeks, rivers and dams of up to 8.4m, according to Aussie.

“The Kubotas run as smooth as silk, even under load,” product manager Brad Farrugia said.

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The eighth-generation Toyota HiLux features four power plants (including two new hightorque turbo-diesel engines), increased towing capacity up to 3.5 tonnes and payloads of up to 1240kg.

Toyota Australia executive director sales and marketing Tony Cramb said the first allnew HiLux since 2005 redefined the “unbreakable” tag.

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16 SOUTH32

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

Cannington’s bright future

What is South32?

• An independent metals and mining company founded in May 2015 after shareholders voted in favour of a BHP Billiton demerger • With a head office in Perth, it is Australia’s third biggest mining company after BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto • The company name stems from the 32nd parallel - the line of latitude that links Australia and South Africa • Australian assets include Cannington (Qld), Illawarra Metallurgical Coal (NSW ), Australia Manganese (GEMCO and TEMCO, NT and Tasmania), and Worsley Alumina (WA) • Overseas assets include Cerro Matoso (Colombia), Hotazel Manganese Mines (South Africa), Hillside Aluminium (South Africa), Mozal aluminium smelter (Mozambique) and Energy Coal South Africa

Extension plans for Cannington mine are on the boil as the north-west Queensland operation officially begins its life as part of the new South32 resources company.

Cannington asset president Peter Sharpe hopes to put a case before the South32 board within 12 months for work to take the underground operation beyond its current mine life of a further eight years.

“One of our goals over the next six to 12 months is to

finalise and define the options to extend the life of the operation,” Mr Sharpe said.

“That will be done either through open-cut options or other ways of using the current resources and infrastructure here.”

Mr Sharpe said Cannington’s move to South32 as part of the demerger of mining giant BHP Billiton had definitely put this extension analysis on the fast track.

“The new business model has

provided a different lens to look through - to say how you would extend the mine life rather than having to meet an internal hurdle of the size of the asset, the size of the operation, the length of years it would need to be proven up for,” he said.

“Certainly South32 can look at it from a different perspective and say a smaller extension is acceptable as long as it adds value and doesn’t destroy future optionality.”

Mr Sharpe said while there

was also potential for growth at Cannington, the priority was giving employees – and the local community - confidence in a longer life span at the silverlead-zinc mine around current production levels.

“We are able some time in the future to look at expansion,” he said.

“But for me coming into this role and looking at the opportunities that are on the table, it’s the mine life extension that is just something we’ve got

to nail as soon as possible and give people certainty greater than the eight years that is currently on the table.”

Mr Sharpe, who started work at Cannington in February, said he’d been extremely impressed with the team and the culture at the site.

“And this is a real credit to my predecessors I think – with Laura Tyler and Vince De Carolis - this team is just in a wonderful frame of mind to accept a new challenge,” he said.

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17

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

SOUTH32

Mine’s reliance on local suppliers continues The shift to South32 will not adversely affect local suppliers’ relationship with the Cannington operation in northwest Queensland, according to asset president Peter Sharpe.

The BHP Billiton spin-off company is headquartered in Perth and has closed a regional office in Townsville.

“Regardless of where we’re headquartered we rely on local businesses and we rely on the relationships - and that’s not going to change,” Mr Sharpe said.

“We still have a local warehouse here at Cannington, we have local supply people.

“There is a core group of procurement people based in Perth but they won’t be working in isolation, they’ll be working with our site-based supply people.”

In 2014, the Cannington operation spent $30 million among 30 locally owned and operated businesses from the Townsville and Mount Isa regions.

Mount Isa to Townsville Economic Development Zone (MITEZ) chief executive officer Glen Graham said the Cannington mine was a major contributor to the North Queensland economy. It was one of the largest customers on the Mount Isa rail system and for the Port of Townsville, he said.

Site-based supply people will be working with procurement at head office.

“Although the mine is principally fly in-fly out, Cannington has been a strong supporter of communities in the North West and MITEZ is pleased to hear that South32 will continue with the levels of support provided in the past, which includes a local purchasing policy that gives suppliers and contractors in the North West the opportunity to

quote,” Mr Graham said.

Mr Sharpe said Perth had been selected as the corporate centre for South32 as it was the ideal location for time zone coverage between Australia and South Africa, where many company assets are based.

He described South32 as having a leaner business model, removing layers of management.

The Townsville BHP

Manager evolves to leader Peter Sharpe is quick to nominate the people he has met and the places he has experienced as the highlights of a 16-year mining career.

Mr Sharpe was appointed as asset president at Cannington mine in north-west Queensland in February, leading that operation through the BHP Billiton demerger that has seen it become part of the South32 stable.

Previous roles include NSW Energy Coal asset president for BHP Billiton, Colombia Coal vice-president as well as various technical, operational and management roles at Goonyella Riverside and Saraji mines in central Queensland.

“I was a bit late into the mining industry,” Mr Sharpe said.

“I’m a civil engineer so I spent my first five or so years building roads and dams and 16 years ago moved to central Queensland with my wife and one-year-old daughter.”

He said the family had travelled from New South Wales with their limited belongings in a small box trailer to start a new life – and from there things had gone “absolutely fantastic”.

“We had six and a half years in Moranbah, four and a half years in Dysart … that was back

Peter Sharpe South32 asset president

before it got really crazy with the mining boom,” Mr Sharpe said.

“We just met some magnificent people. They were great communities to live in and we’ve really made life-long friends.”

He said he had also appreciated the chance to take his family to Houston in the United States for his Colombia Coal role before returning to the Hunter Valley, close to he and wife Stacey’s family, with children Emma, 17 and Jacob, 13.

Mr Sharpe is now based in Townsville and said he was enjoying both coastal North Queensland and the North West.

“It’s a great environment in this area,” he said.

“I’ve been asked to go out mustering at one of the properties and I’m absolutely keen to do that. I come from the country and this is a bit like coming home to be honest.”

When asked about leadership, Mr Sharpe said he believed there was a real distinction between being a manager and being a leader.

“If I reflect on my career, in the early management period it was really about knowing all the answers and being able to be the one who can tell people what needs to be done and have really strong oversight,” he said.

“When you evolve into a leader you actually accept that you don’t know all the answers, but I think you ensure that the team around you does have the answers.”

For him the key to leadership was setting fundamental directions for the work team, providing guidance on what was expected and then doing everything possible to help people be successful, Mr Sharpe said.

“I know it sounds simple, but really I think that’s as hard as it needs to be,” he said.

Billiton Cannington office was being closed as part of the demerger, leading to about 40 redundancies, he said.

“Some people were able to be redeployed to Perth or out to the mine site but, yes, unfortunately there were a number of redundancies that came with the change,” Mr Sharpe said.

He said the Cannington operation would maintain its close connections with the north and north-west Queensland community.

About 70 per cent of Cannington employees live in Townsville and work at the mine on a fly in-fly out basis, while others are drawn from Brisbane, Cairns and communities immediately surrounding the mine site.

Mr Sharpe said there was a groundswell of excitement at

Cannington about the shift to South32 and the chance to become the simple and nimble business being flagged by senior management.

“Agility is important because we have been part of a very big organisation and that can be a little bit bureaucratic and constraining for smaller assets that probably need to be more flexible or need to be able to move faster than some of the larger organisations’ systems allow,” he said.

“There’s a real sense that the time between an idea and a decision is going to be much shorter and people are starting to see that already - we are already looking at process and procedures and unwinding some of that bureaucracy and complexity.”

Company chips in for community Work is expected to begin in September on Julia Creek’s new $2.2 million Community and Cultural Precinct.

The project has been supported by a $400,000 donation from to South32’s Cannington mine as well as a $600,000 commitment from McKinlay Shire Council and $1.2 million from the State Government.

State Development Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said the revamp of the town’s community hall and arts and cultural centre would create 30 jobs and a new heart for the town.

The work is expected to take about a year.

McKinlay Shire Mayor Belinda Murphy said the revamp would see a bigger range of events and activities come to the region, and boost the local economy.

“This is an exciting project for council. The benefits of this project go beyond the jobs created during construction but will extend to the economic activity generated by hosting events we were previously unable to,” Cr Murphy said.

The refurbished centre will have new flooring, stage AV equipment, air-conditioning and an outdoor area, as well as revamped hall amenities, kitchen and bar area, and the arts and cultural buildings attached to the complex.

18 BUILDING MINING COMMUNITIES

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

SUPPORTED BY CANNINGTON

The new discovery.

Myuma Group managing director Colin Saltmere at the awards ceremony.

Photo: Patrick Hamilton

Myuma a leading light in diversity BHP Billiton employee Ellen Couchman helped discover a new snail species.

Creepy crawly curiosity A new species of snail has been discovered in the highlands of southern Queensland by a BHP Billiton employee assisting scientists on a Bush Blitz expedition.

Bush Blitz - a partnership between the Australian Government, BHP Billiton Sustainable Communities and Earthwatch Australia – focuses on uncovering new species of plants and animals, to better understand how to protect the environment.

Ellen Couchman was one of eight BHP Billiton employees assisting 12 scientists from

around Australia in search of spiders, ants, bees, flies, plants, reptiles and amphibians during an expedition in late 2014 in Carnarvon Station Reserve, 200km south of Emerald.

Ms Couchman found the snail while assisting Queensland Museum Honorary Research Fellow Dr John Stanisic, who was recently able to confirm that the species, Pallidex simonhudsoni, is new to science.

Dr Stanisic found another five species of snail during the expedition which he believes are new to science.

Ms Couchman described

the diversity of ecosystems and species on Carnarvon Station as mind-blowing.

“I’ve worked in the Bowen Basin for around two and a half years now and I’ve never seen central Queensland the way I did on the Bush Blitz trip,” she said.

Another Bush Blitz expedition in June this year identified at least seven new species of spider in the Northern Territory’s Judbarra/Gregory National Park, including a genus of tarantulas that is completely new to science.

For more info on Bush Blitz visit www.bushblitz.org.au

Hurt money goes to charity Cannington Mine’s planning department team pride themselves on conjuring up unusual charity challenges, with Frikkie Sadie and Adam Self raising the bar this year.

Mr Sadie and Mr Self each completed more than 600 burpees - a push-up exercise transitioning into a standing position – within 60 minutes in a recent fundraising event.

“The boys took on a burpee challenge raising money for each completed burpee or the number reached during the hour-long event,” specialist communities Joanne Kent said.

Each year Cannington staff back a raft of activities to benefit a nominated charity and this year suicide prevention organisation, Beyond Blue, is the beneficiary.

Ms Kent said $30,000 had been raised within the first six

months of this year’s drive.

An important element of this year’s campaign is planned for

September, when an “Are You Okay Day” will raise awareness of suicide prevention methods.

Camooweal-based business Myuma Group was among those recognised at this year’s Queensland Resources Council Indigenous Awards, taking out the Exceptional Indigenous Business category for its training efforts.

The not-for-profit social enterprise has trained about 500 Indigenous people for jobs in the resources sector.

Myuma managing director Colin Saltmere said the company’s 10-13 week training courses had a 90 per cent retention rate and that 83 per cent of the graduates found fulltime work in the resources sector after 26 weeks.

“The company is contracted

by Glencore Mount Isa Mines, BMA and MMG Century to fulfil their Indigenous recruitment and training requirements,” he said.

Other winners included Glencore Mount Isa Mines heavy machinery operator Lisa Peckham, who was named Exceptional Indigenous Person.

Ms Peckham, an Arrernte woman, left Mount Isa for Adelaide for a time, but soon found that she didn’t enjoy being cooped up in an office all day.

She returned to the North West and has not looked back since completing a Mount Isa Mines Indigenous traineeship program and being offered fulltime work.

BMA won Best Company Initiative at the 2015 awards for its Indigenous recruitment strategy for Daunia and Caval Ridge mines in central Queensland.

BHP Coal manager community Paul Travers and Origin Energy Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander strategy and engagement advisor Matthew Ralph were joint winners in the category of Indigenous Advocacy Champion.

QRC chief executive Michael Roche said the awards acknowledged the importance of increasing the diversity of the resources sector workforce.

Indigenous injection A program promoting Indigenous employment in Queensland’s resources sector is set to continue for another 12 months after a commitment of $200,000 in industry and government funding.

State Government funding of $100,000 is being matched by the Queensland Resources Council for the program, which began in 2007 with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two bodies.

MOU partnership facilitator Michael Limerick said work under the MOU was contributing to a cultural change within the resources industry.

The resources industry employed more than 1000 Indigenous workers and more than 50 Indigenous businesses in Queensland,” Mr Limerick said.

“The renewed partnership between the QRC and the Queensland Government will ensure that we maintain the current momentum, continue our collaborative efforts and build further on the impressive results to date,” he said.

Frikkie Sadie and Adam Self.

Cannington Proudly supporting mining communities

19

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

LIVING REMOTELY

Design-savy accommodation Temporary accommodation facilities are increasingly adopting sustainable design features to deal with tropical conditions, according to Tropical Green Building Network facilitator Emma Thirkell.

And she believes North Queensland businesses should be well-placed to use their expertise in this field to win more work throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

The Tropical Green Building Network is a not-for-profit organisation that promotes tropical architecture and climate responsive design, including raising awareness of the choice of building materials and the way they have been tested to perform in the tropics.

“The standard mining camp is built around the old-fashioned donga - but they are doing that better now because they are understanding the importance of insulation and the relationship between that and airconditioning,” Mrs Thirkell said.

“They are also understanding the need in the tropics to have an outer skin - for instance, if they have a donga put it underneath a flying roof structure.”

Mrs Thirkell, from Cairns-based Thirkell Consulting Engineers, said using an outer skin or ‘hat’ over demountable buildings or repurposed shipping containers helped take the sun off the walls, allowed ventilation around the structures and assisted with airconditioner efficiency.

People were looking at dual mode

An artist impression of the G-pod

designs that allowed cooling via ventilation during milder months but could be effectively airconditioned in very hot and humid periods.

“There will be architects and engineers and construction companies that are bringing forward these types of outcomes and it can be affordable as well. We promote the whole-of-life costs of running buildings, not just the upfront costs,” Mrs Thirkell said.

Cairns-based Taurus Fabric Build is among the Tropical Green Building Network’s members, specialising in relocatable and permanent fabric structures.

“We do a lot throughout the tropics because for work environments you need a four-way breezeway,” chief executive officer David Burston said. “We have a dome or more traditional arched section with tensioned fabric to clad it.”

Mr Burston said they were not supplying accommodation options, but had a lot of demand in remote areas for structures to be used for workshops, hangars and warehousing, for example.

Meanwhile Sunshine Coast architect Dan Sparks is working with Hong Kongbased Bridgewater Group to bring his G-pod transportable building design into production.

He said the first G-pod units, architecturally designed with a focus on environmental sustainability, would be available in Australia in November.

“G-pods can function off grid and are manufactured using biodegradable or recyclable materials,” Mr Sparks said.

“They have a very small ‘footprint’ - both physically and with respect to carbon.”

He said they were ‘uber transportable’ and would make a good accommodation option for remote work camps.

More information at: http://g-pod.com/home/ http://www.taurusfabricbuild.com.au/ http://www.greenbuild.com.au/tgbn

GVK opts for bussing to complement FIFO GVK Hancock has announced plans to provide bus-in, bus-out services for regional workers for its proposed Galilee Basin mining operations.

General manager external affairs Josh Euler said the bus option would complement the unavoidable need for a fly-in, fly-out component to meet the

requirement of more than 4000 direct jobs at the company’s proposed mines.

“The Galilee Basin is a sparsely populated area, so co-ordinating workforce requirements that find a balance with the local community is vital,” Mr Euler said.

“The bus-in, bus-out service will

extend employment benefits from our project to Emerald and Barcaldine and beyond, incorporating additional pick-up and drop-off points along the route at towns such as Jericho and Alpha.

“Fatigue management will be a crucial element of our safety and health management system

and employees will be required to commit to personal journey management plans for any travel to and from the terminal points of Emerald, Barcaldine and the airport as a condition of their employment.”

GVK Hancock is developing three coal deposits north of Alpha in the Galilee Basin in

central Queensland – the Alpha, Kevin’s Corner, and Alpha West projects.

It is yet to announce a date for commencement of construction.

The Alpha and Kevin’s Corner thermal coal mines are expected to produce 32mtpa and 28mtpa respectively, with a mine life of more than 30 years.

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20 QMIHSC PREVIEW

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

Study finds safe substitute to welding underground Breakthrough research on the use of “plastic metal” for repairs in underground coal mines is expected to cut downtime and avoid the hazards involved with welding in that environment.

Principal engineer Bipin Parmar is leading the Simtars (Safety in Mines Testing and Research Station) project focusing on epoxy products like those used in the motor industry.

The study, now in its second 12-month phase, is testing whether such products could be safely used for temporary repairs on the joints known as flamepaths on flameproof equipment for underground mining.

“If this (method of repair) is accepted it will actually cut the downtime in production, so I

think it will help industry,” Mr Parmar said.

“This sort of damage doesn’t occur all the time, but when it does it’s critical and it’s a safety issue.”

Mr Parmar said that currently when flameproof equipment was damaged in an underground coal mine the operation would have to be shut down to remove that equipment for repairs.

Welding in situ may also be an option – but this also requires the plant to be shut down and the area ventilated due to the danger of explosion.

The use of plastic metals for temporary repairs would avoid the need to take plant out of service, Mr Parmar said.

The Simtars study, backed

by ACARP (Australian Coal

Association Research Program), considered a range of plastic metals - epoxy resin with metal fillers - and has pinpointed the most effective form for underground applications.

“We did a whole series of tests to prove that it is safe to apply it in the manner to maintain the flameproof protection concept, so it doesn’t affect the integrity of the equipment,” Mr Parmar said.

Stage 1 of the project had proven it was “feasible and doable” to use the plastic metals for underground repairs, he said.

Stage 2 was taking on board feedback from mining companies and the Mines Inspectorate and looking at scenarios such as how well the material worked if a surface was greasy, for example.

Simtars technical officer David Soady prepares a cover plate with epoxy products for testing.

Mr Parmar said that once the product was fully assessed, Simtars would produce criteria that an epoxy resin must meet to be used in underground repairs and a competency requirement for any person to undertake such repairs.

He stressed that these would only be temporary repairs to

allow equipment to continue to be used for some time before full maintenance works to return it to the original equipment manufacturers specification.

Mr Parmar will outline Simtars’ findings at the Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety conference in Townsville in August.

RISA throws a wider net with skills summit

Rod Ramsay Resources Industry Skills Association (RISA) CEO

A peak training body plans to hold its annual skills summit in Townsville as a follow-on event to this year’s Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference.

The 2015 RISA Skilling Conference will be held on August 19 and 20 at Rydges Southbank, with the theme “Shared Learnings – Making a Difference”.

“This year we’re trying to attract a more diverse group – so we have speakers who are talking about drilling, civil

mining, rail and someone from Virgin Airlines is coming to talk about their ground staff training,” Resources Industry Skills Association (RISA) chief executive officer Rod Ramsay said.

“We’re trying to create that interest to get people to come in from different industries (to mining) as well.”

Mr Ramsay is also scheduled to chair safety training sessions during the QMIHSC on August 18.

He said organisers of both

CAUTION

key conferences were hoping to gain numbers from an overlap in participants.

If it worked well this could become an ongoing pairing, furthering RISA’s aim of building “shared learning” between safety and training personnel, Mr Ramsay said.

“Safety and training are fairly integral but on some sites training reports to a different function than safety, so you get that gap in there. If we could integrate more I think we’d have better outcome across

both groups,” he said.

The RISA conference is hoped to draw 150 or more participants.

Representing mining companies and the registered training organisations that serve them, RISA’s membership has risen from about 30 to 60 in the past 18 months “We hope to double that again in the next six to 12 months,” Mr Ramsay said.

Go to http://risaconference. org for more information.

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21

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

QMIHSC PREVIEW

Driver standards falling short of technology A quantum shift in driver behaviour and training is needed to prevent new vehicle technology leading to workplace accidents, a corporate driver education instructor and crash investigator says.

Motor School chief executive officer George Foessel said standard vehicles now included features such as anti-lock braking systems (ABS), traction control, stability control systems, hill launch assist and trailer antisway.

“And 99 per cent of the people I’m training out there have no true knowledge of the technology,” he said.

Mr Foessel’s Queenslandbased business is focused on the mining and gas industries, putting about 6500 workers through driver training last year.

He will be speaking at the Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference at the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre from August 16 to 18 about the pros and cons of vehicle technology in the resource sector.

Mr Foessel warned that on unconventional surfaces the technology had the potential to cause accidents rather than save people if it was not properly used and understood.

He had received a number of calls about brake failures with anti-lock braking systems on mine sites, he said.

“Over the last few years ABS have become more prevalent in the industry through the ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program) 5-star cars,” Mr Foessel said.

“When they get on a slippery surface the ABS doesn’t work - so they contact me because they want to disconnect the ABS, which you can’t do because

George Foessel Motor School CEO

everything else runs off it.”

The computer-driven ABS technology pulsates the brakes on each wheel to prevent skidding and allow drivers to steer left or right rather than experiencing a total loss of control.

“If you are on a really slippery (low friction) surface the ABS keeps releasing the brakes causing exceptionally long stopping distances,” Mr Foessel said.

“Then manufacturers brought in another technology called hill descent control and that is where most people get left behind.”

Activated manually, this feature could overcome the problems with ABS on slippery descents if the driver knew how to use it properly, he said.

“You also have things like traction control – using the braking system or fuel system to stop wheel spin if you accelerate,” Mr Foessel said.

“That’s really handy on a bitumen road but, say you are coming up a hill on a mine site - if you don’t turn the traction control off what happens is it puts the brakes on and you stop half way up the ramp.

“On surfaces like loose gravel or sand you might need that little bit of wheel spin to keep the car moving.”

When it comes to rearend skidding, people taught to counter steer in defensive driving courses or who have picked up such techniques through experience will get into trouble if they do not

understand stability control systems and how to modify driving behaviour.

Mr Foessel’s work has included carrying out tests on

site at BMA Goonyella mine and a specialised testing surface to work out how to get the best results out of various systems in 2WD and 4WD modes.

The Grasstree Mine team attends to casualties during a first aid exercise at the QMRS Memorial Cup competition.

Top teams in 45th EK Healy Cup The Queensland coal industry’s top rescue squads are gearing up for the 45th annual EK Healy Cup competition at Glencore’s Oaky No. 1 mine, between Middlemount and Tieri, on August 6.

Among the contenders are the top four placegetters from the recent Queensland Mines Rescue Service Memorial Cup competition, held at Anglo American’s Grasstree mine.

The team from Cook Colliery, near Blackwater, topped that competition, followed by teams from the Moranbah North, North Goonyella and Oaky No.1 mines, chief assessor Ray Smith, from the Queensland Mines Rescue Service, said.

They will meet Crinum, Kestrel, Broadmeadow and Oaky North to contest the 2015 EK Healy Cup. Mr Smith said the 2015 QMRS Memorial Cup competition had included six short, sharp surface exercises testing fire-fighting and first aid skills and an underground scenario that saw teams transporting Hebel bricks to an area requiring repair and gathering gas data.

Mr Smith said Moranbah North had won the George Carbine Shield for first aid excellence in the competition.

A rollover caused by loss of control on a slippery surface.

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22 LIFT AND SHIFT

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

Yamala development to be ready for 2016 harvest GrainCorp has earmarked a site about 25km east of Emerald for a new rail loading facility, expected to be operational next year.

The Yamala development is part of the organisation’s $200 million “Project Regeneration”, to be delivered over three years.

GrainCorp director government and media, Angus Trigg, said the tender process was well under way for the Yamala works.

The facility is part of the first round of Project Regeneration works, which will see GrainCorp invest $60 million in 13 country sites this year.

Mr Trigg said the Yamala facility would include two weighbridges, a sample stand (where truckloads of grain are graded), and 180,000 tonnes of bunker storage capacity.

A new railway siding will be built, a connection to the main line and an over-rail outloading facility.

The site will also include infrastructure such as office space, a workshop, storage sheds and grey water systems.

Mr Trigg said GrainCorp aimed to begin construction as soon as possible after planning approval.

“What we want to do is have the site ready for the receival of the next sorghum harvest (in mid to late 2016),” he said.

Mr Trigg said the growth Emerald had experienced from the mining industry meant the existing GrainCorp grain receival site in town had been encroached by residential development.

The cost of building the new Yamala complex outside Emerald has not been revealed, but it is one of only two facilities being built from scratch this year under Project Regeneration (along with one near Ungarie in New South Wales).

Work at other sites across NSW and Victoria includes installation of new high-speed overrail loaders, upgrades to existing rail loading infrastructure and capacity expansion.

More information is available at www.graincorp.com.au/regeneration

Call to rethink freight rail The Australian Rail Track Corporation has launched a nationwide advertising campaign urging Australian businesses to consider the benefits of freight rail.

ARTC chief executive officer John Fullerton said the move was sparked by a critical issue in the national supply chain - the imbalance between road and rail moving goods around the country “The ‘See rail in a new light’ advertising campaign asks freight owners to re-think any pre-existing perceptions and incorporate rail into their supply chain to reduce costs, gain a natural mass

management advantage and benefit from rail’s natural safety and environmental benefits,” Mr Fullerton said.

“We can no longer be polite about the fact our country must move more freight by rail.”

Australian Logistics Council managing director Michael Kilgariff applauded the campaign, saying that moving more freight to rail - where it made sense commercially - could help reduce road congestion and decrease queuing times at ports.

Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional

Economics figures showed rail transport accounted for about half of total domestic freight, with iron ore and coal exports accounting for more than 80 per cent of this, he said.

Australia’s freight task was projected to grow 80 per cent between 2010 and 2030, Mr Kilgariff said.

“Meeting this rising freight task can be achieved through the development of short haul rail to major ports, support for appropriate intermodal terminals in our cities, and investment in rail projects, such as the inland rail line between Melbourne and Brisbane,” he said.

A new tamping machine, which packs ballast under the track.

Aurizon equipped for coal growth Aurizon is investing $180 million in a fleet upgrade to help its coal rail network handle increasing export tonnages.

The five-year upgrade program, finishing in 2018, includes new tamping machines, ballast regulators, a ballast cleaning machine and specialised ballast spoil management wagons.

Aurizon managing director and chief executive officer Lance Hockridge unveiled one of the new 62m, 193-tonne track machines at a ceremony at Sarina, central Queensland, recently.

He said the new machines would allow Aurizon to do more quality work in far less time.

“Track construction and maintenance, like Aurizon, has been transformed in recent times. We are now more productive, more innovative, using world leading technology and most importantly we are safer,” Mr Hockridge said.

“These massive machines operate on the $5 billion asset which is the Central Queensland Coal Network, the supply chain that links more than 40 mines with the state’s export ports.”

The Central Queensland Coal Network carried record volumes of 214 million tonnes in 2013/14 and a similar level of 210-220 million tonnes was expected for 2014/15.

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23

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

LIFT AND SHIFT

Komatsu shifts Carmichael coal Komatsu has received an order for 55 960E-2 and 930E-4SE super-large dump trucks for use at Adani Mining’s Carmichael coal mine, about 160km northwest of Clermont.

The heavy equipment manufacturer said the trucks were to be delivered from the second half of 2016.

Komatsu has not disclosed the value of the agreement or made any announcement on where the equipment will be assembled.

However the company’s recently opened customer support centre in Paget, Mackay, has the capacity to service the ultra-class trucks and its expanded Mackay Mining Assembly facility, opened mid2013, is able to assemble them.

All of Komatsu’s current generation of ultra-class haul trucks are autonomous capable,

and the 960E models have a 330-tonne haulage capacity.

The Carmichael project involves a large thermal coal mine in the northern Galilee Basin linked by 388km of rail to a new terminal at Abbot Point, near Bowen.

Adani Mining recently flagged plans for a September start date for off-site works for the project, according to Federal Member for Dawson George Christensen – who recently met with Adani Australia country head and chief executive officer Jeyakumar Janakaraj.

“There is a very good opportunity for regional centres like Mackay and also Rockhampton and Townsville in all aspects of this project, including construction of the mine site itself, the rail line and also the port expansion,” he said.

Adani Mining has ordered a fleet of 960E dump trucks to operate the planned Carmichael coal mine.

Adani is understood to have invested more than $3 billion in the project to date.

Downer EDI has been selected as mining services contractor and POSCO E&C has been appointed as the Preferred EPC

contractor for Adani’s North Galilee Basin Rail (NGBR) project.

Adani Australia in June launched an Indigenous Participation Plan (IPP) encompassing its port, rail and

mine projects in Queensland.

The company said this was set to result in a direct benefit of at least $250 million in business development, jobs, and training opportunities to traditional owner groups.

Wagners Transport on the highway to haul for MMG Wagners Transport is clocking up the miles in north-west Queensland as it hauls about 430,000 tonnes of development ore from MMG’s Dugald River site to the company’s Century processing plant.

MMG Century management has confirmed the Dugald River material

will go through the plant after the final ore from the Century open-pit operation has been processed and piped to Karumba.

The trucking program between Dugald River, about 65km north-west of Cloncurry, and the Century site at Lawn Hill began in May and will be

Wagners is using triple road trains to complete the Dugald River project.

completed by November 30.

Wagners Australian projects general manager John Stark said the company was using Type 2 (triple) road trains to complete the project, with about 16 units each completing two trips per day.

“There will be approximately 5250 trips undertaken during the project, with the vehicles travelling a total of 4 million kilometres,” Mr Stark said.

He said the project was comparable to other significant jobs the company had completed in Queensland and the Northern Territory, but involved a rare combination of high volumes, large fleet and long lead distance on public roads.

He said the company was working on a number of potential opportunities for this fleet in Queensland and the Northern Territory once the MMG

contract was complete.

The route from Dugald River has trucks travelling along the Burke Development Rd to the Burke and Wills Roadhouse and then on the Wills Development Rd before going to Lawn Hill using Wills Rd. It involves a round trip of about 700km.

MMG said the first priority of the trucking program was the safety of road users and that the company had engaged with a wide variety of stakeholders in the Lower Gulf on this issue, as well as tourism and caravanning media and organisations.

As an extra safety measure, dust suppressant is being applied to dirt sections of the Wills Rd and the mine access road.

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24 CQ OPERATIONS

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

Byerwen blast for Bowen Basin Tenders have started going out for work on the $1.7 billion Byerwen coal mine, 20km west of Glenden in central Queensland.

Construction is scheduled to start by the end of the year at the hard coking coal project, being developed by QCoal Group and JFE Steel.

“We recently tendered the rail package and we expect several components of the high-voltage electrical work packages to go out (in July),” QCoal Group general manager of mining operations Danny McCarthy said.

Mr McCarthy said tenders for the Byerwen project would be issued via the Industry Capability Network (ICN) or through a requested tender process, depending on the complexity of the packages involved.

He said QCoal had preference clauses in its procurement contracts for local supply.

“I think it will be great for the industry and great for the Glenden community and wider region to see a flagship project like Byerwen coming out of the ground,” Mr McCarthy said.

“It instils a lot of confidence back into the area at a time when there’s a lot of negativity – it will be good to develop a world-class project amongst that.”

The approval in April of the first of several mining leases being sought for the project has opened the way for construction, with that first lease covering a pit area adjacent to existing rail infrastructure for transport to Abbot Point.

“This enables us to put in the rail spur and train load-out area,” Mr McCarthy said.

The Byerwen mine will produce hard coking coal.

Danny McCarthy QCoal Group general manager of mining operations

The Byerwen project will be a staged development, expected to reach a peak capacity of about 10 million tonnes per annum.

The mine is expected to employ about 300-350 people in its initial stages of operation.

The QCoal Group has flagged its aim to be producing 20mtpa of coal across its central Queensland mines by 2020.

It began production from the Drake mine, 17km south of Collinsville, in December last year.

This added to the cluster of local sites – including the Sonoma mine and processing plant at Collinsville - which QCoal operates as its Northern Hub. The Drake product is processed at Sonoma and Mr McCarthy said the company was also seeking opportunities for bypass coal (which would not go through the preparation and handling plant) to boost overall production.

The Northern Hub strategy has seen QCoal slightly increase its workforce levels to about 400 at a time when the nearby Glencore Collinsville coal operation is shedding 80 workers.

“It has enabled us to share resources – both plant and people - seamlessly across the operations. That was always the strategy for the Northern Hub and testament to that we are continuing to operate and don’t

have any plans to reduce that,” Mr McCarthy said.

QCoal is producing 4-4.5mtpa from the Northern Hub and expects first coal from Byerwen to be shipped in the second half of 2016.

More work packages on the way Initial tenders for construction of the Byerwen coal project were issued in June and more work packages are expected to go out in coming weeks through a request for tender process or via the Industry Capability Network (ICN).

QCoal anticipates that work packages will include: • Civil (roads, CHPP pads, dams, mine industrial areas) • Rail spur and loop (track formation, signalling and communications) • CHPP (ROM, washplant, product handling, train load-out, co-disposal dams pumps and piping) • Water supply (pumps, pipeline, storage) • High voltage power supply (66kV/11kV substation, switchgear, pf correction, transmission lines) • Workshop, hardstand, stores, wash-down bay, MIA buildings, explosives storage • Telecommunications • Fuel storage, distribution and supply • Portable lighting and pumps Visit http://gateway.icn.org.au/project/3614/qcoal-group

* And don’t forget, membership gives you free access to the:

Capability & Procurement Portal * RECEIVE INVITATIONS TO TENDER * FIND LOCAL BUSINESS * POST TENDERS AND QUOTES The Capability and Procurement Portal aims to promote the extensive capabilities and capacity that the Mackay Region has to offer.

The Portal will connect local businesses and industry to develop a sustainable and diverse economy for our region.

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25

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

CQ OPERATIONS

Ports encourage local solutions Suppliers have been urged to tap into opportunities arising from a “transformation” of North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation, including coming forward with ideas on how they can help the business meet its goals.

This July marks one year at the helm for NQBP chief executive officer Steve Lewis, and he has been speaking out about the organisation’s new direction.

“We have a view on where we are going and where we see opportunity, but what I’m saying to people looking into the port is what do you see that we could be doing and what can your business bring to our business?” he said.

Mr Lewis said NQBP had set a new vision; “to lead the sustainable development of Queensland ports and build prosperity for current and future generations.”

Within that vision it has set four key pillars of strategy.

This includes facilitating trade by being investment ready, attracting investment and supporting stronger customer development.

Another pillar is regional development – with Mr Lewis

emphasising the importance of port-centred logistic solutions, growing Mackay and being actively involved in supply chain co-ordination.

Port sustainability is another - involving elements such as environment, heritage, community licence to operate, education and developing young people into the port industry.

The final pillar is building a smart ports culture through capability, innovation, knowledge and technology.

Mr Lewis said internal achievements had included NQBP reducing its costs by 15 per cent going into 2015-16 and taking measures to trim paperwork and processes.

The organisation also has a firm list of infrastructure upgrades that it wants tackled to improve the competitiveness of the Mackay port in particular.

Mr Lewis said while port charges for Mackay compared well to Townsville and Gladstone, supply chain links were adding costs that made the other centres a potentially cheaper option for some commodities.

Vines Creek Bridge must be a priority on the infrastructure

of rail works he advocated.

While NQBP would drive some of the projects on the list, Mr Lewis said it was in talks with government and other agencies on others and that he also expected the private sector to play a role.

He said the works should be undertaken within five to 10 years.

Steve Lewis NQBP chief executive officer

agenda to allow for higher mass loads in and out of the port, he said.

Other requirements Mr Lewis highlighted to make Mackay a more attractive logistics hub included raising overhead wiring on the Mackay-Bowen Basin mine roads to allow for oversize loads, installing a roll on-roll off ramp at the port, and extending wharf M1.

Increasing rail line capacity to 20 tonnes axle loading for the line from Erakala to port and within the port was among a raft

Mr Lewis also flagged small to medium-sized private sector projects in the pipeline for Mackay port in the near future, saying he was expecting some to be announced over the next five months.

NQBP is the port authority responsible for facilities at Weipa, Abbot Point, Mackay and Hay Point.

Environmental studies proceed Environmental impact statement studies have begun for an expansion project at of Abbot Point, near Bowen, to serve planned Galilee Basin coal operations.

State Development Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said project construction would create about 120 jobs for up to four months, as well as jobs associated with the proposed mines and flow-on supply chain jobs.

“This government is committed to a balanced approach to protecting the environment and delivering vital infrastructure for Queensland’s economic future,” Dr Lynham said.

“That’s why we canned the Newman Government’s plan to dump dredge spoil in the Caley Valley Wetlands and will instead place dredged material on unused industrial land next to the existing coal terminal.”

The expansion project proposes dredging about 60ha of seabed within port limits, outside the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

26 CQ OPERATIONS

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

RATCHing up Collinsville solar RATCH Australia Corporation has an early-2016 construction start in its sights for the Collinsville solar power project as it enters off take discussions with major energy retailers.

General manager - business development Anil Nangia said the recent agreement between Labor and the Abbott Government on Renewable Energy Target (RET) legislation had added impetus.

“We’ve been looking for certainty in the legislation before we can develop this project,” he said.

The first stage of the solar PV (photovoltaic) project, at the site of Collinsville’s mothballed coal-fired power station, would produce 42MW – enough to power 15,000 homes, and there is scope for expansion.

The $100 million stageone works have full planning

approval from the Whitsunday Regional Council and Mr Nangia said construction would start as soon as a power purchase agreement was secured.

He said solar panels sourced from overseas would account for about a third of the establishment costs, however the rest of the money would go towards site preparation and installation - producing local employment opportunities.

“We’re hopeful of starting construction early next year after the wet season and right now we’re looking at 40 to 50 jobs during construction,” Mr Nangia said.

The company has selected a preferred supplier for the construction project and Mr Nangia said RATCH had stressed its strong preference for local labour to that successful contractor.

An artist’s impression of the proposed photovoltaic project at the old Collinsville coal-fired power station site.

Only two permanent staff will be required on site for the operational phase.

RATCH proposes a $70 million expansion for the project, adding another 40MW to the stage one works.

While solar arrays generally produce the most power during

the middle of the day, RATCH has been tweaking its design to produce more energy later in the day to better match peak demand.

The standard design would have all panels facing north with a tilt of 18 degrees, while the optimised design for the

Collinsville site proposes 27-degree offset towards the west and a 10-degree panel tilt.

The company plans to work with the University of Queensland to help refine the technology, including looking at the best ways to clean the PV panels.

The 100 million-litre good oil on Gladstone The proponents of a $US700 million oil refinery in Gladstone have flagged their preference for a local workforce to operate the plant.

Australian company Casper Energy and US-based Eagle Ford Oil & Gas Corporation (ECCE) propose to build new import infrastructure, a stateof-the-art heavy crude oil conversion refinery plant and a 100 million-litre storage terminal.

Phase one of the project would create up to 1000 construction jobs plus 300 permanent jobs and additional support roles as the plant becomes operational.

Casper Energy project director Duncan

Mackenzie told Queensland Industry Advocate the procurement strategy would be defined throughout the next 12 months.

He said businesses would not start to see work packages going out to tender until the project had received regulatory approval – a process expected to take about two years.

Mr Mackenzie said local reaction to the refinery plans had been very positive so far, with the potential development warmly received in local, state and federal government circles.

Gladstone Engineering Alliance general manager Carli Hobbs said the proposed

refinery would be small compared to others in Australia, but the spin-off s should be fantastic for the region.

“From the GEA side of things, we hope that they really look at the local supply chain to construct and help maintain the plant and that locals are given that opportunity,” she said.

She said the refinery announcement came as Boyne Island Smelters considered an expansion, and the community was still awaiting word on the future of the Euroa steel plant plan.

Phase one of the proposed oil refinery project is expected to have the ability to process up to 43,000 barrels per day of

Tony Britton Award winner a first An innovative management approach to a $16 million dragline rebuild at Caval Ridge mine this year saw G&S Engineering Services named as joint winners in a key regional safety award.

G&S shared the Safety Foremost title at the Resource Industry Network 2015 Chairman’s Awards with JP Piping Systems.

Judges pointed to an innovative management structure which saw a Caval Ridge dragline rebuild conducted on a separate mine lease controlled by G&S, allowing for a tailored safety and health management plan that focused only on relevant re-build tasks.

JP Piping Systems was recognised for an organisation-wide culture of safety that was ‘practical, effective and inclusive’.

The awards, held in Mackay, honoured the achievements of 18 businesses and individuals who were shortlisted for their demonstrations of originality, practicality and forward thinking.

The inaugural Tony Britton Award was presented to long-serving Resource Industry Network director and Group Engineering managing director Allan Ruming.

The award is named in honour of Tony Britton, a long standing director of MAIN (now Resource Industry Network) who

passed away last year.

Resource Industry Network chairman Tony Caruso said the award was presented to a person who, like Tony, demonstrated dedication, enthusiasm

and support for the wider resource services sector, outside of their own business interests.

The Mastermyne Group won the Leading from the Front Award.

Sapphire unearthed Richland Resources has started gemstone production at its Capricorn Sapphire project in central Queensland.

Open-pit mining is under way, with sapphire-bearing ore being processed through a recommissioned, purposebuilt alluvial plant before being further processed and sorted at a complex in Emerald.

The company said sapphire recovery would be conducted under advanced security systems at the complex.

The alluvial plant at the Capricorn Sapphire mine is capable of treating up to 200 loose cubic metres (LCM) per hour.

Richland Resources said a staggered ramp-up to fullscale production would occur in coming months.

The project has a JORC measured sapphire resource of about 21.6 million grams (109 million carats) of sapphires.

crude oil into ultra-low sulphur diesel and premium gasoline.

The joint venture partners say the new refinery will add much-needed capacity to the Australian domestic oil refining industry and contribute to the security of fuel supply.

“This will be the first major new refinery built in Australia in 50 years and will be strategically beneficial to Australia’s energy supply goals,” ECCE chairman Johannes Roux said.

It is proposed to be built within the dedicated State Development Area at Gladstone.

Green light to stalled Red Hill BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) has welcomed a recent decision by the Queensland Co-ordinatorGeneral to approve the environmental impact statement for the Red Hill Mining Lease Project, north of Moranbah.

The approval provided BMA with certainty to support the continuation of mining and essential productivity measures at BMA’s existing local mines, a spokesman said.

“Whilst BMA’s plans for a new mining development on the Red Hill site were suspended in 2012 due to market conditions, the Co-ordinator-General’s approval also provides the foundation for development planning at the adjacent Goonyella Riverside and Broadmeadow mines, including future extensions into the Red Hill Mining Lease,” he said.

No decision had been made in relation to the timing of the development of the proposed new underground mine included within the Red Hill Mining Lease EIS, he said.

The Co-ordinator-General’s approval for the Red Hill project included detailed workforce conditions with stipulations that operational workers would not be 100 per cent FIFO and that anyone must be able to apply for a job on the project, regardless of where they live.

27

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Councils win on recovery work The Local Government Association of Queensland has claimed a win in the battle to have councils reimbursed for day labour under Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements.

The Abbott Government has lifted restrictions that limited such funds to the use of contract labour for rebuilding work.

LGAQ President Margaret de Wit said the resolution of the issue would be a big relief for local councils anxious to ensure their communities recovered quickly from natural disasters.

And she thanked Queensland Deputy Premier and Local Government Minister Jackie Trad for playing her part in taking the fight up to Canberra.

Rockhampton Region Mayor Margaret Strelow said the decision would allow council to use its own staff to do the reconstruction works required after Tropical Cyclone Marcia, if it chose, and still be able to claim their wages.

However she pointed out that it would not apply to many of the post-cyclone measures facing the council, as opposed to the sort of road reconstruction projects generated after flood events.

“We have been going back over money already spent to understand what benefits there may be for us there,” Cr Strelow said.

“While council is grateful for the government’s extension of the day labour trial, for this event, the reimbursement does not cover emergent works and counter disaster operations, so we expect that we will only be able to claim an extra $3600 of our recent expenditure as a

Rockhampton Mayor Margaret Strelow talks to council workers during the TC Marcia clean-up.

result of this decision. We have been very careful to use contract labour everywhere we can to maximise our claimable return.

“Given that council is still going to be out of pocket around $13 million as a result of Marcia, the changes announced will not make a great deal of difference to us.”

Major works to restore the city’s Kershaw Gardens and the Botanic Gardens, as well as excavation and restoration of creeks and waterways, were not covered by the decision, she said.

“Of eligible projects, the reconstruction of Pilbeam Drv (up Mount Archer) is probably council’s greatest infrastructure challenge after Marcia,” Cr Strelow said. “As Pilbeam Drv is still undergoing geological testing, the use of day or contract labour for the reconstruction is currently unknown.

“It will depend on where we get best value for our ratepayers

and on what specialist skills are necessary.”

Ms Trad said councils had told her that external contractors were often not available to undertake work in remote

communities and could not offer value for money to taxpayers.

This had prompted the State Government to take up the NDRRA issue – raising it publicly and writing to

the Commonwealth on four occasions since February.

Ms Trad pointed to a trial of day labour following the Queensland floods in December 2011 and January 2012 which found councils delivered reconstruction works faster and more efficiently, saving taxpayers about $160 million.

“Unfortunately the Abbott Government and the former Newman Government allowed the trial to expire in 2014 which meant when the cyclone (Marcia) hit the National Disaster Recovery Relief Arrangements prohibited the use of day labour,” Ms Trad said.

“After many months of putting the case for Queensland forward, it’s good to see common sense has prevailed and Minister Keenan has agreed to a stopgap measure to extend the trial until the end of 2016-17 financial year.”

Cyclone rebuilding funding detailed

Tropical cyclone Marcia heads towards the Central Queensland coast.

Central Queensland rebuilding efforts have been boosted with the recent announcement of a $27.75 million Federal Government Category D cyclone recovery package.

The funding would include help for the local government areas of Rockhampton, Livingstone, Banana and surrounding districts, local federal members Michelle Landry (Capricornia) and Ken O’Dowd (Flynn) said.

It includes $20 million to rebuild damaged local government assets to a more resilient standard, $6 million for the clean-up and restoration of national parks, beaches and recreational assets, $1 million to assist with green waste removal, and $750,000 for industry recovery officers to support cyclone-affected primary producers and small businesses.

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28 OUR MINING HERITAGE

Queensland Industry Advocate | July 2015

Anniversary closes in on memorial plans A Moura community group is engaged in a last-ditch bid to raise enough funds to have a major miners’ memorial ready to mark the 40th anniversary of the Kianga disaster.

The $535,000 project will honour those killed in three mass disasters on the Moura-Kianga coalfields as well as individual miners killed in accidents since 1961.

Moura Community Progress group president John Walker said fundraising efforts had reaped about half that amount

by June and that they needed to be able to put up the $450,000 required for construction before tenders could be called.

This meant the window was fast closing to have work started in time to have the new monument ready for the September 20 anniversary of the Kianga No. 1 Mine explosion which claimed 13 lives, he said.

“We’re still pushing for September although the reality is we’re probably not going to have the funds in time, as it requires three months’ construction,” Mr Walker said.

The back-up plan was to officially open the new Gillespie St memorial in July next year to co-incide with the 30th anniversary of the Moura No. 4 underground disaster.

That underground disaster claimed 12 men, while another at Moura No. 2 in August 1994 killed 11.

With the individual miners

Impressions of the planned memorial to honour those killed on the Moura-Kianga coalfields.

John Walker Moura Community Progress group president

who have lost their lives on the local coalfields, the latest being at Dawson mine in February, the memorial roll will total 50 names.

Mr Walker’s father Ron is among those who will be listed the father of four having died in an accident in the Moura No.2 underground mine in November 1979.

“My father was working underground when a rib came out of the roof sidewall and struck and killed him - so that’s probably where my passion comes to build something that remembers everyone, not just those lost in the disasters,” he said.

John Walker was 15 when his father was killed and his youngest brother was just three

years old, however, the family stayed on in Moura.

Mr Walker, a fitter by trade, has worked in the local coal industry for 35 years but says he has never set foot underground.

Mr Walker said the planned memorial would provide a central site to honour those killed in the mines as well as helping to educate visitors to Moura about coal mining in Queensland, and the tragedy that went with it.

Moura Community Progress remains in discussion with state and federal funding bodies, unions and mining companies to raise more funds.

The Queensland division of the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union recently donated $90,000 – allowing the group to get detailed engineering design work complete to submit to council for approval.

Ron Walker Killed in a Moura mining accident in 1979

Other pledges have included $50,000 from the CFMEU’s national office and $50,000 from

Asbestos compensation experts 1800 555 777

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the Electrical Trades Union, Queensland.

Mr Walker said the monument was such a big project that the proponents had targeted large organisations for donations rather than the local community.

“In these tough times there’s only so much to go around and we didn’t want to drain all the money into our project and take it away from others like the local football club and swimming club,” he said.

Nevertheless the group has received great local support, including $500 donations from churches and a range of service clubs for a promotional brochure to assist its fundraising bid.

For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/ MouraMinersMemorial

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