The NSW Minerals Council partners with a number of community-based organisations that share our vision for strong mining communities and a strong NSW.
Newcastle Knights
The NSW Minerals Council has partnered with the NRL’s Newcastle Knights since 2013 to celebrate the contribution of our NSW mining families and the good things mining brings to NSW.
Thousands of Newcastle Knights fans and NSW mining families attend the annual Voice for Mining Family Day at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle, demonstrating the importance of mining to the local community. The annual event draws more than 20,000 people.
The team wears the special replica hi-vis mining jersey twice each year in a visual representation of the connection between the club, rugby league fans and our mining communities. There are so many current and former players that have worked at our mines including Bill Peden, Steve Simpson, Nathan Ross and Josh King. And that bond continues to grow through this partnership.
As well as Voice for Mining Family Day games in Newcastle, the Knights have played in the hi-vis mining jersey in mining communities including Tamworth, Orange, Maitland and Mudgee.
They have also played in hi-vis in Sydney where there are many people working in mining-related jobs and where the coal from our mines provides the electricity that powers homes and businesses right across our capital.
In 2019 we extended sponsorship to the Newcastle Knights Tarsha Gale women’s under-18 squad for the first time in support of growing women’s rugby league and in recognition of the important role women play in the NSW mining industry.
learn more at newcastleknights.com.au.
Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service
The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service is a vital asset to the people of northern and western NSW and it is our industry’s longest-standing community partnership.
For more than 35 years, our NSW miners have supported the service, through corporate donations from mining companies, fundraising, events and weekly contributions from employees through their pay. And it has been supported by the industry collectively through the NSW Minerals Council for more than 35 years to ensure that no one in the community ever has to pay to be assisted by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.
Along with members of the community, and through support from the NSW Government, the NSW Minerals Council and the state’s mining sector is proud to support the service so that it is there when it is needed. From bases in Newcastle and Tamworth, the service conducts dozens of rescue missions each year across regional NSW and in mining communities.
In 2018 it was announced that the NSW Minerals Council would continue its financial support for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service for a further three years.
As well as our financial support, we also partner with the service to raise awareness about the incredible work they do and to encourage people in the community to support their work. For example, each year at Voice for Mining Family Day, one of the service’s helicopters conducts a fly-over at Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium to highlight the great work they do.
Learn more at rescuehelicopter.com.au
Girls Academy
The Girls Academy is an initiative of Role Models and Leaders Australia (RMLA), a not-for-profit charitable organisation founded in 2004 by Olympian and champion basketball player, Ricky Grace (MEdL, BPolSc).
The Girls Academy develops and empowers Aboriginal girls through leadership training, mentoring, sports and extra-curricular programs. The Girls Academy aims to create an environment within schools where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls receive the support and programs needed to help them realise their full potential.
The NSW Minerals Council has supported The Girls Academy since 2016 and has assisted in the expansion of the program into NSW and into mining communities including Gunnedah, Muswellbrook, Singleton, Tamworth, Orange and Dubbo. As well as support on behalf of the industry as a collective, many NSW Minerals Council member companies also partner with Clontarf supporting academies in the region in which they operate.
We support The Girls Academy in its efforts to develop strong and educated young women which is critical to closing the unacceptable gap that exists between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Learn more at girlsacademy.com.au
Clontarf Foundation
The Clontarf Foundation exists to improve the education, discipline, life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and by doing so equips them to participate meaningfully in society.
Since opening its first Academy for 25 boys in 2000, The Clontarf Foundation has grown to cater for over 6,500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander boys in 97 schools across Western Australia, Northern Territory, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.
The NSW Minerals Council has supported The Clontarf Foundation since 2014 and has assisted in the expansion of the program into NSW and into mining communities including Singleton, Orange and Dubbo. As well as support on behalf of the industry as a collective, many NSW Minerals Council member companies also partner with Clontarf supporting academies in the region in which they operate.
The Clontarf Foundation works towards education outcomes by harnessing the existing passion that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander boys have for football to attract them into school and keep them there. Its football academies provide an important school-engagement mechanism for many at-risk students who would otherwise not attend or have low school attendance.
Over time, retention at school improves and in areas where Clontarf exists there has been evidence of reduced crime rates in the community. After finishing the programme, graduates are helped to find employment and support is provided until graduates become comfortable with their new jobs and surroundings.
Learn more at clontarf.org.au
MATES in Mining
MATES in Mining (MIM) has provided industry-backed, research-based, suicide prevention and support for the mining industry since 2012. It is based on a model previously developed for the construction industry through the MATES in Construction initiative.
NSW Minerals Council has supported the MATES in Mining program for many years, along with several of its member companies and the Coal Services Trust, through fundraising initiatives, in-kind support and raising awareness about the important work they do.
In 2019, the NSW Minerals Council hosted a charity auction to raise funds for MATES in Mining at the NSW Mining Health, Safety, Environment and Community Awards Dinner with Newcastle Knights legend and mining ambassador, Tony Butterfield.
Learn more about MATES in Mining at mates.org.au/mining/
Related Parties
Coal Services Pty Ltd
Coal Services and its subsidiaries (Coal Mines Insurance, Coal Services Health and NSW Mines Rescue) are private companies, created by statute (the Coal Industry Act 2001) with statutory responsibilities, which are administered by the NSW Minister for Resources. Collectively, Coal Services is a dedicated health and safety scheme for the coal industry.
Coal Services is owned 50:50 by NSW Minerals Council and the CFMEU. The nominate Directors work collaboratively on a variety of boards, committees and working groups including the Standing Committee on Airborne Contaminants & Occupational Hygiene which was established in 1954.
Find out more on the Coal Services website.
Mine Super
As the peak industry body for mining in NSW, the NSW Minerals Council represents the industry at a number of related organisations.
The NSW Minerals Council is a shareholder in Mine Super, an industry super fund. Mine Super, previously known at AusCoal Super, has a long history of supporting our mining workforce in NSW for over 75 years.
Mine Super has built a strong reputation in the communities it serves and currently manages approximately $11b in funds for its 63,000 members.
Find out more on the Mine Super website.
Coal Mining Industry (Long Service Leave) Corporation
Coal LSL is the Australian Government corporation established to regulate and manage long service leave entitlements on behalf of employees and employers.
It is established under the Coal Mining Industry (Long Service Leave) Administration Act 1992 and has a Board with six Directors including One Director appointed to represent the companies engaged in black coal mining in New South Wales or Tasmania.
Find out more on the Coal LSL website.