Our Partnerships

Newcastle Knights

The NSW Minerals Council has partnered with the Newcastle Knights in the NRL since 2013, to celebrate the contribution of our NSW mining families and the good things mining brings to NSW.

This includes the annual Voice for Mining Family Day in Newcastle where thousands of mining families join Newcastle Knights fans to watch the team play in the now-iconic replica hi-vis mining jersey.

The NSW Minerals Council is also proud to be a founding partner and major sponsor of the Newcastle Knights women’s team in the NRLW for their inaugural season in 2022.

This follows the industry’s support for the Newcastle Knights Tarsha Gale women’s under-18 squad from 2019 – 2021. These partnerships are in support of the growing popularity of women’s sport and a strong demonstration of the NSW mining industry’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Voice for Mining Family Day

Thousands of Newcastle Knights fans and NSW mining families attend the annual Voice for Mining Family Day at McDonald Jones Stadium, demonstrating the importance of mining to the local community. The annual event draws more than 20,000 people and celebrates its 10th year in 2022.

The Newcastle Knights NRL team wears the special replica hi-vis mining jersey to represent the connection between the club, rugby league fans and our mining communities.

There are so many current and former players that have worked at our mines including Bill Peden, Steve Simpson, Nathan Ross and Josh King. As well as Phoebe Desmond in NRLW in 2022. And that bond continues to grow through our partnerships with the Newcastle Knights.

The club has also played in the hi-vis mining jersey in mining communities including Tamworth, Orange, Maitland and Mudgee, as well as community training days in Singleton and Cessnock. And the team has proudly worn hi-vis a number of times in Sydney where many people work in mining-related jobs and where the coal from our mines provides the electricity powering homes and businesses across our capital.

Learn more at newcastleknights.com.au.

Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service is a vital asset to the people of northern and western NSW and it is our industry’s longest-standing community partnership.

For more than 35 years, our NSW miners have supported the service, through corporate donations from mining companies, fundraising, events and weekly contributions from employees through their pay.

And it has been supported by the industry collectively through the NSW Minerals Council for more than 35 years to ensure that no one in the community ever has to pay to be assisted by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.

Along with members of the community, and through support from the NSW Government, the NSW Minerals Council and the state’s mining sector is proud to support the service so that it is there when it is needed. From bases in Newcastle and Tamworth, the service conducts dozens of rescue missions each year across regional NSW and in mining communities.

In 2018 it was announced that the NSW Minerals Council would continue its financial support for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service for a further three years.

As well as our financial support, we also partner with the service to raise awareness about the incredible work they do and to encourage people in the community to support their work. For example, each year at Voice for Mining Family Day, one of the service’s helicopters conducts a fly-over at Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium to highlight the great work they do.

Learn more at rescuehelicopter.com.au

Clontarf Foundation

The Clontarf Foundation exists to improve the education, discipline, life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and by doing so equips them to participate meaningfully in society.

Since opening its first Academy for 25 boys in 2000, The Clontarf Foundation has grown to cater for over 6,500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander boys in 97 schools across Western Australia, Northern Territory, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

The NSW Minerals Council has supported The Clontarf Foundation since 2014 and has assisted in the expansion of the program into NSW and into mining communities including Singleton, Orange and Dubbo. As well as support on behalf of the industry as a collective, many NSW Minerals Council member companies also partner with Clontarf supporting academies in the region in which they operate.

The Clontarf Foundation works towards education outcomes by harnessing the existing passion that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander boys have for football to attract them into school and keep them there. Its football academies provide an important school-engagement mechanism for many at-risk students who would otherwise not attend or have low school attendance.

Over time, retention at school improves and in areas where Clontarf exists there has been evidence of reduced crime rates in the community. After finishing the programme, graduates are helped to find employment and support is provided until graduates become comfortable with their new jobs and surroundings.

Learn more at clontarf.org.au