Community
7 August, 2024
Mount Isa City Council reveals big plan for local projects
The news was broken during a parliamentary inquiry on Tuesday.
Mount Isa City Council will next week release a list of 60 stimulus projects that focus on diversifying the local economy and retaining skilled workers ahead of the 1200 forecasted job losses at Mount Isa Mines next year.
Mayor Peta MacRae revealed the economic analysis report was close to completion while speaking at a state parliamentary inquiry hearing into Robbie Katter’s proposed amendments to the Mount Isa Mines Act on Tuesday.
Cr MacRae told the hearing that possible projects under consideration included a processing plant to capitalise on the huge phosphate deposits surrounding the city, wind energy projects to compliment the CopperString rollout and working with Glencore to transform shafts at the disused underground copper mine to produce and store renewable power.
She said while council supported the amendments proposed by Mr Katter, the state government also needed to focus on accelerating critical mineral projects to ensure Mount Isa was not a “one company town”.
“The (Katter) bill you are considering is vital for our short term future because it means we have a say in the operations and ownership of the Mount Isa mines,” Cr MacRae told the committee.
“Mount Isa will remain a mining town, we just need help with our transition at this point.
“Everyone acknowledges this region is full of possibilities.”
Cr MacRae also used the hearing to criticise the state government’s reliance on fly in, fly-out workers among its own public service. She claimed the region would be better serviced by having decision makers who lived in the community.
Mount Isa City Council CEO Tim Rose said the continued operation of the MIM copper smelter beyond the current 2030 lifespan was crucial to the long-term viability of the city, with about 500 direct jobs and an estimated 3000 indirect regional jobs dependent on the processing facility.
He said the proposed Eva Copper Mine, which is about 75km north of Cloncurry, was of strategic importance to Mount Isa because, despite the lease area not being within the Mount Isa council boundaries, it would provide the processing volumes required to support the MIM smelter.
Mr Rose also revealed the council had lobbied for Mount Isa to be the launch point for construction of the CopperString project, but ongoing local environmental and Native Title negotiations had meant Hughenden was instead selected as the location to commence early works on the transmission line.