The Upper Hunter Mining Dialogue has kicked off 2016 with the release of its annual forum report, and updated rehabilitation figures.
With the Hunter Coal Festival beginning tomorrow as well as both the Tocal Field Days conference and Best Practice Ecological Rehabilitation of Mined Lands Conference, April is set to be a busy month for the Dialogue.
Upper Hunter Mining Dialogue Annual Forum Report released
The Dialogue Annual Forum back in December was a productive day attended by around 70 participants to discuss the previous twelve months and set priorities for what lies ahead.
The overwhelming feedback from participants this year related to a focus on communications and community engagement. This included suggestions to resurvey the community to gauge their perception of the Dialogue, engage and educate the broader community, promote Dialogue projects and reinvigorate Dialogue membership.
Participants suggested that more information about the Dialogue is provided and suggested some ways to get the community more engaged in what’s happening, for example, more mine tours were suggested to get people interested and excited about Dialogue initiatives.
Transparency was emphasised as an important means for the industry to build trust and support from the community going forward.
Visit the Forum Events page to download the latest Annual Forum report on our website here to learn more about the previous year’s outcomes and what to expect from the Dialogue in 2016.
New Rehabilitation Reporting figures released
The Upper Hunter Mining Dialogue’s Land Management working group developed a set of principles and commitments that aim to decrease the periods of time that disturbed areas are left without temporary or final cover to minimise any impacts on the landscape or air quality.
Back in 2014 when the Mining Dialogue website was launched, coal producers made a commitment to publicly report their progress against the principles each year, including the total area of land disturbed and rehabilitated—a first for the industry.
The reporting covers operations in the three local government areas of the Upper Hunter, Muswellbrook, Singleton and Upper Hunter councils and the latest figures for the year of 2014 are now available on the Rehabilitation Principles and Commitments page.
Hunter Coal Festival and Singleton Family Community Day
The ten-day Hunter Coal Festival starts tomorrow, and there’s a jam-packed program of events to celebrate and discuss the importance of the mining industry to the region, and what lies ahead.
The Upper Hunter Mining Dialogue will be holding a stall at the Singleton Family Community Day on this Saturday 2nd April, so be sure to come and visit us if you’re planning to attend the event.
The Community Day will also include mine tours, children’s entertainment, market stalls, country music and even a parade, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
NSW Minerals Council Director, Greg Sullivan to present at Tom Farrell Institute Conference
The Best Practice Ecological Rehabilitation of Mined Lands Conference is organised by the Tom Farrell Institute for the Environment (TFI) at University of Newcastle, and the Upper Hunter Mining Dialogue is a Gold Sponsor for the event.
This year’s conference will focus on successful rehabilitation processes, final voids in the Hunter, along with a broad range of presentations on the business of ecological rehabilitation of mined lands.
Event Info
When: Thursday 7 April 2016
Where: Singleton Civic Centre, Queen Street, Singleton
Time: 08.30 onwards
Registration: http://bit.ly/1Yf2ETd
NSW Minerals Council CEO Director, Greg Sullivan will be discussing Rehabilitation initiatives within the Upper Hunter Mining Dialogue including the latest rehabilitation figures from Upper Hunter coal producers, beneficial uses of mine voids and new projects for 2016.
Tocal Field Days Festival
The Dialogue will be attending the Tocal Festival on 29th April – 1st May, where we will have a stall educating attendees about the Dialogue initiatives and the latest from the Grazing Study.
The Tocal festival is an annual agriculture and related industries event that displays the latest in farming techniques and new technologies, so it’s a great opportunity to educate a diverse audience about the Upper Hunter Mining Dialogue.
You can register here for the Tocal Festival.