As the Acting Commissioner for Resources Safety and Health, like you, l am dedicated to promoting and protecting the safety and health of persons who may be affected by the operation of the resources sector.
In 2025, I spent a significant amount of time visiting mining operations alongside industry safety and health representatives, district worker representatives, site safety and health representatives, leaders, inspectors, workers and other industry stakeholders to support the sector’s collective efforts to protect our people.
I thank those who offered me the opportunity to learn about what you are doing to make a difference, and how I could help. I am committed to fostering a culture of collaboration, because I believe we are stronger and safer when we work together.
Despite some operations achieving favourable outcomes in 2025, there were significant events that impacted the safety, health and wellbeing of our workers. Sadly, it’s been a tragic start to 2026 with two fatalities.
We find ourselves trying to make sense of the circumstances, and work through the pain and grief caused when one of us (someone from either our first or second family) does not return home safely after heading to work. We do this with the support of workmates, family, friends and others, and the promise of implementing the learnings from nature and cause investigations.
The new Mining and Resources Coroner was also recently introduced, to conduct mandatory inquests when the unthinkable occurs on mining and resource sites.
Who is the Queensland mining industry?
In 2024-25, the Queensland resources sector directly employed more than 71,000 Queenslanders, including company employees and on-site contractors. During the same period, the sector supported nearly 550,000 jobs across the state through its supply chain and the spending of its workforce in local communities.
We come from all walks of life, from a mining perspective we contribute proudly as opal miners, quarry operators, explorers, mineral miners and coal miners.
The safety, health and wellbeing of our industry is supported by the Coal Mining Safety and Health Advisory Committee (CMSHAC) and the Mine Safety and Health Advisory Committee (MSHAC). The advisory committees are tripartite bodies representing workers, operators and inspectors, with the commissioner as the independent chair.
What’s our roadmap to improve the performance of the mining industry?
I never forget the risks faced by Queenslanders working in our resources sector, and of further work needed to implement improvements as they come to light. As Acting Commissioner, I shoulder accountability in helping to deliver the agreed changes. Achieving a more reliable future requires a collective effort, shared responsibility and accountability, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
In 2025 the Acting Commissioner, and the two mining safety and health advisory committees reviewed, amended and re-launched their respective five-year strategic plans. The plans document how the committees plan to fulfil their functions under their legislation and include interventions aimed at having a real impact on safety, health and wellbeing outcomes for workers and those affected by our operations.
The strategic plans have a shared vision of achieving higher reliability and provide for the sustainable leadership, culture and oversight needed to support strong safety, health and wellbeing outcomes across the coal mining, mineral mining, opal mining and quarrying sectors.
There is more to do on delivering our strategic plans. Progress on delivery is being documented on the Commissioners’ website, such as:
- CMSHAC held an industry forum on 11 November 2025 in Moranbah to share lessons regarding gas and spontaneous combustion detection and control in a longwall goaf.
- Coal mining senior industry leaders came together recently for a first ever tripartite safety and health forum to consider a high potential incident.
Future state
The independent review of Queensland’s Resources Safety and Health Regulatory Model released by the Queensland Government in November 2025 made it clear there are opportunities for improvement to the current resources’ safety and health regulatory framework.
As an outcome of this review, the government announced it will be discontinuing the role of the Commissioner for Resources Safety and Health and transferring its advisory and oversight functions to a new independent governing board.
I am committed to working with the regulator, the mining advisory committees, the government and other stakeholder groups to transition to the future state.
Now is the time to lean in and act together
I invite everyone to help in strengthening our tripartite working relationships to promote our common shared values, and to continue working together to build a shared safety culture in our industry.
We need everyone engaged if we are to strengthen our group identity as a proud mining industry, an industry where we believe in each other to implement actions that will reduce the likelihood of fatalities and serious accidents. Actions that will support our transformation into a higher reliability industry (HRI). An industry where we can provide confidence to our new starters, our experienced personnel, the community and mining organisations and other obligation holders that fatalities and other serious accidents can be a thing of the past.
Ken Singer
Acting Commissioner for Resources Safety and Health
| My office welcomes any feedback via commissioner@crsh.qld.gov.au or by visiting the Commissioner’s website. |
Image caption: Ken (in white hard hat) accompanying District workers representative Bill Tangye, with the team at Castlereagh quarry.
