CFMEU: Cancel corrupt mining licenses, ban corrupt individuals

Tony Maher

Source:  CFMEU Mining and Energy News

Premier Barry O’Farrell should cancel corruptly-obtained mining licenses and make sure individuals found corrupt by ICAC never get their hands on a mining license again, the miners’ union said today.

CFMEU National President Tony Maher welcomed the Premier’s move to cancel the Doyles Creek, Mount Penny and Glendon Brook licenses without compensation and said corrupt individuals should face sanctions preventing their access to lucrative mining licenses.

“The ICAC’s findings on these matters were clear – a number of businessmen and government officials acted corruptly to get their hands on the very large sums of money the mining industry generates,” he said.

“Mr O’Farrell’s move to cancel these licenses is a strong and welcome measure – but he should go further and make sure these grubs never do business in NSW’s coal industry again.

“The mining industry is too important to risk the taint of corruption. The industry must be impeccably regulated and deliver returns to communities and taxpayers.

“The industry itself should fight for these licenses to be cancelled, to avoid losing public confidence.

“Those individuals found by the ICAC to have acted corruptly should be sent to the sin bin.”

The CFMEU consistently rejected lobbying to back the Doyles Creek training mine, said Mr Maher.

“This was never anything more than a get-rich-quick scheme cynically dressed up as a training initiative and we refused to have a bar of it.”