The Australian Mining Cities Alliance has warned the transition to renewables requires planning and support to avoid serious social implications to resource communities.
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ACMA is an Alliance of mining cities across Australia including Mount Isa and its chair is Mount Isa Deputy Mayor Phil Barwick.
Cr Barwick said the commentary on mining futures too often neglects the real people issues that have potential to destroy the future of mining communities.
"In these communities the workers, their families and the small businesses that have toiled for so long to create and sustain the affluent national economy we all enjoy, despair at the failure of the broader community to understand the threats to their sustainability," Cr Barwick said.
"Further though the failure of governments to plan and make provision for orderly and beneficial transitions means that uncertainty abounds, exacerbating the plight of the mining communities."
At its Board meeting held in Canberra last week AMCA resolved that the sustainability of mining communities is a priority advocacy issue and they develop an advocacy plan to tackle this issue in coming months.
Cr Barwick said governments received large amounts of revenue from the resources industry.
"Some of this should be used to invest in transformative infrastructure and the establishment of appropriate transitions for changing communities," he said.
"There are some examples where governments have shown a level of commitment to the transition for affected communities, for example Collie in Western Australia with its transition away from coal mining and North Stradbroke Island in Queensland with its cessation of sand mining."
Cr Barwick said there were many other communities in need of respectful engagement, solid planning and real investment.
"They include some whose future is destined to change for better or worse, but they also include others whose ongoing existence will benefit from timely reassessment of their future needs." he said.
"We will fight for mining communities and their long-term sustainability in addition to our ongoing advocacy for immediate issues like housing affordability and the need to manage the impacts of Fly-in Fly-out work practices."
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