“Stop demonising mining employers, work with them to create Australian jobs” says AMMA

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img ironore3
img ironore3

Steve Knott, the Chief executive of Australian Mines and Metals Association (AMMA) believes that on top of an ongoing obsession to impose new taxes on the industry, Australia’s resource employers have been unfairly demonised twice in the past fortnight.

Copyright © 2009 Rio Tinto
Copyright © 2009 Rio Tinto

He believes, the first was the launch of a politically-motivated trade union campaign, he said misleads the Australian public on the usage of skilled migration in the resource sector. Revealing that the official data is 28,500 new jobs were created in the resource sector in the last 12 months and 92% were filled by Australians.

“This week, the long-awaited parliamentary committee report into the impacts of Fly-in, Fly-out and Drive-in, Drive-out working arrangements dropped the ball on a unique opportunity to discuss how the industry and government can work together to address skills, regional infrastructure and community development,” Mr Knott said.

Mr Knot believes the headline of the report ‘Cancer of the Bush’ is demeaning to thousands of Australian FIFO workers and the language would be offensive to families who have lost loved ones to cancer. “It is totally inappropriate from our nation’s leaders to stoop to such language”, he said.

“Instead, the government should be promoting existing initiatives already in place to transition Australians into mining employment and provide the training, skills and knowledge required to participate in the great opportunities within our industry”.

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