Majority in Singleton support jobs first and Mount Thorley Warkworth approval

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‘Jobs first’ is the clear message from the Singleton community to decision makers when it comes to major project proposals like mining, new research has revealed.

 

New research of community attitudes to mining conducted by ReachTel across the Singleton Local Government Area has found that 81% of respondents believe jobs should be given ‘high’ or ‘highest’ priority when decisions about whether major projects like mines should be approved, with 64% saying jobs should be the ‘highest’ priority.

 

Participants were also asked about Rio Tinto’s Mount Thorley Warkworth project near Singleton, with 67% supporting the project’s approval.

 

77% of survey respondents said they supported mining, compared to 12% opposed.

 

The research also found that the vast majority of respondents, nearly 87%, believed mining was ‘important’ or ‘very important’ for the Singleton economy.  

 

“These are very strong results in support of jobs and the local mining industry,” NSW Minerals Council CEO, Stephen Galilee said today.

 

“Support for Rio’s Mount Thorley Warkworth mine near Singleton is also very strong, indicating a high level of community understanding of the importance of the project for the local economy,” Mr Galilee said.

 

“There has been a lot of support for this project and through the Voice for Mining network we’ve seen nearly 2,000 submissions made to the independent planning authority to have the project approved.”

 

The Reachtel survey was conducted across the Singleton Local Government Area on 4 June, incorporating a representative sample of 612 local residents.

 

Contact: Nat Openshaw