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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-03-23 Daily Xml
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Parliamentary Committees

Parliamentary Committee on Occupational Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation: Hillgrove Resource Group Mine and Kanmantoo Quarry

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (15:56): I move:

That the report of the committee on the site visit to Hillgrove Resource Group copper mine and Kanmantoo quarry be noted.

In October last year the committee undertook its second of three regional visits, this time to visit the Kanmantoo area, where we were privileged to visit Hillgrove Resources Group copper mine and the Kanmantoo bluestone quarry.

Kanmantoo is the small community just outside Callington, situated within the local government area of Mount Barker. It has a rich heritage, where some of the state's earliest pioneers settled. The Aboriginal Peramangk tribe, who inhabited the area long before white settlers, called the place Kunga Tuka. The committee's field trip to Kanmantoo mine and quarry was precipitated when the Mining and Quarrying Occupational Health and Safety Committee, commonly referred to as MAQOHSC, gave the committee evidence in relation to an inquiry into work-related mental health and suicide prevention.

MAQOHSC informed the committee that evidence-based research found that mental health issues and suicide are a significant risk in the mining and construction sectors, which are both an important part of the South Australian economy. The dangerous nature of mining and construction are closely related because people often move between those two industries for work. If one is experiencing a downturn, then people move across to work in the other industry.

There are a number of factors that make these two industries high risk for mental health and suicide: they are both male-dominated industries; most men are not as socially engaged as women; and, they often find it more difficult to talk about their problems. This often results in men ruminating about their problems, leading to anxiety and depression. Both industries include shiftwork and long hours. Shiftwork means that people are away from their families for longer and often at critical times, such as kids sports days or birthdays.

The long hours and weekend work have an impact on family life. Workers in both industries are usually subjected to precarious employment, and the precarious nature of that employment places stress and strain on individuals and families who need to pay their mortgages or rent, put food on the table and ensure that their children's needs are met.

The resources sector often involves work in remote areas, and working remotely often involves fly-in fly-out (FIFO) or drive-in drive-out (DIDO) workplaces where workers are isolated from their families and their local community. As I said, they miss out on family events such as birthdays and other celebrations and are not able to contribute to the life of the community, such as coaching sport or assisting with working bees and the like. They are not able to help their partners, who may be struggling with teenagers or other family matters. Isolation from family and friends can place stress on relationships and can result in the misuse of alcohol or drugs.

Some fabulous work is being done in the construction industry by MATES In Construction, while Dr Jennifer Bowers, who established the Australasian Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health nine years ago, has been working within the mining and agricultural areas. MAQOHSC funded a pilot program on suicide prevention for South Australian mining and quarrying in conjunction with Wesley LifeForce and Mining Family Matters. The program, called Rock Solid Suicide Prevention, is a lead program in the South Australian mining and quarrying industry.

The committee visit to the Kanmantoo mines began with a site visit to Hillgrove's copper mine, a publicly listed company located about 55 kilometres south-east of the Adelaide CBD. The copper mine is an open-cut mine which produces about 100,000 dry metric tons of copper concentrate per annum. Hillgrove is a drive-in drive-out facility employing about 192 people from the local area and an additional 70 contractors. Most people live within 10 kilometres of the mine while the remainder live in the adjacent Adelaide Hills.

The mine is very engaged with the community and works to enhance the community wherever possible. The Kanmantoo Callington Community Consultative Committee discusses a range of issues, such as dust, noise, lighting and environmental rehabilitation issues, and is a forum to engage the community in mine decisions that may affect them. Hillgrove has also assisted the local CFS with firefighting equipment and resources.

Hillgrove is a large commercial operation and as such it has strict safety procedures in place, including drug testing for all workers, traffic management systems, staff training and a significant focus on fatigue management as well as early reporting of hazards. We were given strict instructions about footwear and clothing before our visit, and on arrival we were all breath tested and provided with personal protective equipment. The visit was well supervised by the mine manager, Lachlan Wallace, who explained the history of the mine and its achievements in providing sustainable employment as well as its investment and risk management strategies.

The committee also visited the Kanmantoo Bluestone quarry, which is a family-owned business of considerable historical significance to the local community. Bluestone is a natural durable product and can be found in many homesteads in the surrounding area. The Kanmantoo Bluestone quarry also produces aggregates such as dolomite and crushed rock for road bases. The quarry sits high on the hillside with little protection afforded from the elements, and the work of cutting the bluestone is very labour intensive indeed.

The mine's owner, Bernard Clifford, explained the quarry's operation and escorted the committee and SafeWork and MAQOHSC (Mining and Quarrying Occupational Health and Safety Committee) officials on the tour of the quarry. He advised that after many years of working in the quarry he had decided to sell it and to enjoy his retirement—and I wish him well in that. The bluestone quarry is quite a different operation to that of Hillgrove Resources, as one would expect. The family-owned business in the mining and quarry industry often needs support and advice to address safety needs for workers and visitors, and this is a role that MAQOHSC fulfils extremely well.

MAQOHSC was established in 1941 under the Workers Compensation (Silicosis) Scheme. It has investments that are now used to fund MAQOHSC's initiatives to minimise injury and disease and promote improved occupational health and safety in the South Australian mining and quarry industries. Large employers, such as the Hillgrove Resources copper mine, are able to employ people to develop and implement safety management plans, to monitor and audit those plans and to deliver improvement strategies. Smaller businesses, such as Kanmantoo Bluestone quarries, are less likely to have the same ability.

There are many small mines and quarries throughout South Australia which are committed to the safety and wellbeing of their employees, but they need support and assistance in managing the process. This is the role that MAQOHSC plays, and it plays it very well. If they find employers who are not doing the right thing or who resist assistance, they are able to refer those businesses to the inspectorate, but their primary focus is working with mining and quarrying industries to achieve good outcomes for industry and those who depend on it for their livelihoods.

The committee's visit to both these businesses provided an opportunity for the committee to learn the differences in operation and understand the importance to the South Australian economy and the challenges they face. The differences between the large commercial outfits such as the Hillgrove Resources copper mine and the Kanmantoo Bluestone quarry were significant, but it was reassuring to understand that they were both supported to achieve compliance and improved business outcomes. The visit also highlighted the risks associated with the dangerous work that is mining and quarrying and how business support is provided to minimise those risks, particularly in relation to mental health and the wellbeing of workers.

There are many people that the committee would like to thank for making this field visit possible: firstly, the staff and board of the Mining and Quarrying Occupational Health and Safety Committee (MAQOHSC), who arranged the field trip, and the executive director and key staff of SafeWork SA, who contributed to the committee's learning experience.

It was a privilege to be able to visit the Hillgrove Resources copper mine and the Kanmantoo Bluestone quarry, and it was only made possible by the generosity of management and staff of those businesses, who gave of their time to ensure that the committee had ample opportunity to learn from their experiences and to see at firsthand their operational activities. Our thanks must also go to the committee's executive officer, Ms Susan Sedivy, for helping to organise this valuable field trip.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (16:08): I rise to support this motion. I think I can also put on the record that the Hon. John Darley adds his support for this motion, but he did not wish to delay the chamber. I hope not to do that for very long either. I support the comments made by the Hon. Mr Kandelaars and particularly note the great contrast that we saw on that visit.

Obviously, the Hillgrove Resources copper mine is an example of a significant modern mine, and its great difference from many of those significant modern mines I have visited is its close proximity to a major metropolitan city. I think that provides advantages, in that many of the staff certainly can be located very closely, but it also has some issues in that there are a lot of other residents of the area who live in close proximity to the mine. It was a fascinating visit, and I add my thanks to all those who made it possible.

During the Kanmantoo Bluestone quarry visit in the afternoon, we saw two contrasts in that one site. As the Hon. Mr Kandelaars said, the actual mining and processing, if you could call it that, of the bluestone itself is a very old-fashioned labour intensive industry, but it is obviously one that is very much in demand. The other side of it, of course, is the processing of the aggregate, which is something that I think most of us in society take for granted. A former employee of mine, Mr Todd Hacking, is now a very senior officer in the cement, concrete and aggregate peak body for Australia. Aggregate is essential to many levels of construction and, of course, to road building around the country.

I want to place on the record my appreciation of the role in the visit, and also their strong interest in this area, of the Mining and Quarrying Occupational Health and Safety Committee which, as the Hon. Mr Kandelaars has said, is well noted as MAQOHSC. I think their work, along with that of SafeWork SA, not only in these two contrasting industries but also across the industry, is significant and something we took great note of.

I would also like to particularly pay tribute to the role of MATES in Construction. MATES in Construction is an organisation that I have had a lot to do with for several years. They are one of the best organisations that I have worked with in relation to suicide prevention. They do fabulous work in the construction industry, particularly around training those who work in that area.

It is certainly an industry that has had high rates of suicide, attempted suicide and related mental health issues, and I give great credit to the South Australian CEO, Michelle Caston, and her team, and their interstate colleagues I have met, who are taking these messages into an industry where not that many years ago these messages would have been completely unwanted and not listened to. I think it is a great tribute to them and to many other groups working in the suicide prevention and mental health areas that those messages are being delivered in those settings and being listened to much more readily, and we really need to support people who do that work. With those words, I am very pleased to support this motion.

Motion carried.

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