In 2019, the NSW Minerals Council ran a public information campaign calling for changes to the NSW planning system. The campaign was undertaken in response to several concerning planning outcomes that raised strong concerns about the possible loss of thousands of potential jobs and billions in investment if changes were not made to the planning assessment process for major mining projects.

The campaign included advertising on television, radio and online and was aimed at protecting NSW jobs and supporting our state’s economy. These remain vital goals for the mining industry as our state recovers from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In October 2019 the NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes announced a NSW Productivity Commission review of the Independent Planning Commission (IPC). This review was conducted independently of the NSW Government, and the recommendations for change resulting from the review were accepted by the Minister in early 2020.

The changes to be implemented include greater clarity on the roles and responsibilities of the Planning Department and the IPC, new performance benchmarks, streamlined assessment processes, and greater accountability around policy and decision-making.

The NSW Minerals Council welcomed these changes and is monitoring their implementation closely to ensure they deliver the improvements that they are intended to. 

We continue to advocate strongly for ongoing improvements to the NSW planning process, including recommencing our public information campaign if required.

Sharing stories from those affected across the media

Local communities and local businesses raised concerns about the impact of decisions being made about mining projects that had their support. 

Over the course of the campaign, we shared some of these stories across our state on television and radio.

Radio:

• Listen to advertisement 1
• Listen to advertisement 2

TV:

Why the NSW Planning System needed reform

• The NSW Planning Commission had been making decisions on behalf of the NSW Government which contradicted existing government policies
• Some mining projects had been stuck in the Planning System for years, creating uncertainty for mining families and local businesses
• The NSW Planning Commission delayed projects by repeatedly requesting additional information, despite years of thorough assessment by the Department of Planning and Environment and its recommendation for approval
• A number of administrative errors created unnecessary uncertainty for around 300 mine workers and their families in Singleton
• Small changes to existing mines required unnecessary extensive paperwork and lengthy waiting times to pass through the Planning Commission process 

How the mining industry is supporting jobs in the current economic downturn

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a huge toll on the Australian economy. But by taking early action to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the mining industry has continued to operate safely and support thousands of jobs across our state.

Around 40,000 people work directly in mining across NSW, and the industry supports thousands more jobs in services and supplying businesses.

Across Sydney and regional NSW there are thousands of businesses benefiting from our COVID-19 protocols. With our mines still working, these businesses can keep working too.

Read more about our COVID-19 Community Information campaign.