Queenslanders have made it clear that mining matters to their communities and they want a government that values and respects the resources sector.
Jobs for Mining Communities (JMC) Managing Director Grant Wechsel who co-founded the advocacy group with rugby league icon Darren Lockyer, said JMC’s positive pro-mining campaign which featured some of league’s biggest names hit a nerve with Queensland’s mining communities.
“Our campaign’s message resonated because Queenslanders value our resources sector.
“For too long, successive governments have relied on the mining industry for its economic contributions without respecting the people or the contribution that it makes.”
Featuring well-known rugby league players with deep ties to mining communities, including Ben Hunt, Harry Grant, Tamika Upton, Ali Brigginshaw, Sam Thaiday, Danny Buderus and Corey Oates, JMC’s campaign highlighted the shared values of hard work, resilience, and community pride.
“A lot of these players grew up in mining towns and have firsthand experience of how important mining is to the people around them,” said Grant.
“They know that without mining, many of Queensland’s communities simply wouldn’t exist.”
The JMC campaign aimed to remind the public that the sector is integral to funding schools, hospitals, and essential services, while also supporting local businesses and jobs.
With the Queensland election over, JMC is urging the new government to recognise mining’s economic and social value and to foster investment and pride in the sector.
“We want to see mining communities appreciated, not just for the financial support they bring, but for their contributions to Queensland’s identity and prosperity.”
JMC is also looking ahead to the federal election in 2025.
“We believe many of the same trends we have seen in regional Queensland will also apply in the coal mining regions of NSW and the mining strong holds like Western Australia.
“JMC will be campaigning throughout those regions to remind all Australians that ‘Mining does a great job for us all’.”
