Experience: An Advantage When Painting The Big Picture

Inexperienced persons need not apply.  I read this statement in a position vacant advertisement for underground miners.  “The long term impacts of the industry were not fully understood”.  “This is an evolving space and certainly our knowledge is evolving”.  These statements were attributed to the Queensland Water Commissioner about the impact of the coal seam gas industry on ground water supplies.

I found these statements interesting.  A common cry you hear about the mining industry is that yes there are jobs to be filled, but you need experience to get them.  Fair enough, underground mining can be a dangerous environment; inexperience could prove costly, financially and physically.  However we seem prepared to risk our underground water and our environment with inexperience.  As I said, interesting.  So with a mining industry apparently not keen to train its employees, preferring to fly them in and out, what is Central Queensland getting in return?  More, bigger ports and more railway lines to get coal to overseas markets quicker are not pleasing everyone.  Promises of spending some of the billion dollars in royalties and taxes earned from CQ in CQ on better roads, etc., appear to be caught up in the usual political blame game between the State and Federal Governments.  Plus with the Gold Coast having won the bid to host the Commonwealth Games and admissions the costs are likely to be higher than anticipated (gee that one caught me by surprise). I think we know where a good proportion of the royalties will be spent over the next six years.  Even if the promises of better roads are realised, what is Central Queensland’s future post the resource boom.  For all the money that will be made out of CQ what will we have to show for it?  How will CQ keep growing, presenting a dynamic, vibrant, innovative image that continues to attract people to live, work and play in?  After all decentralisation is vital for Queensland’s future.  Any person who really thinks about it would realise that continued growth in only the south east corner of the State is unhealthy for the State’s economy.  I hear that aspirations I have raised in this column have been scoffed at by some community leaders.  They’re entitled to their opinions, but let’s start to hear their aspirations (and of those who want to replace them).  Particularly for the post resource boom era.  We need big picture aspirations for Central Queensland and real commitment to achieving them.  If CQ needs a reason why, consider the history of Mount Morgan.  That’s experience we should take heed of.