Crisafulli Government steps in to fix Labor's mess in Glenden
- Crisafulli Government delivers a practical path forward for Glenden, providing certainty to the community.
- New model fixes the chaos left by Labor, which expected the Byrwen Mine to relocate staff to Glenden without securing even basic services such as water.
- Revised plan will consider housing, planning and water needs, with responsibilities shared amongst stakeholders.
The Crisafulli Government is taking decisive action to fix Labor's reckless and poorly planned changes over Glenden's future, ensuring local families, workers, businesses and industry get the certainty they deserve.
In 2023, the former Labor Government rammed workforce location conditions for staff at the Byerwen Mine through Parliament, without considering or addressing the practical implications of the requirements.
The rushed changes, which ignored concerns raised by workers, required Byerwen Mine to relocate 100 percent of its workforce to Glenden without ensuring the town had even the most basic services like a secure water supply.
The Crisafulli Government is now fixing Labor's mess, delivering a practical and responsible path forward for Glenden, and ensuring that the future of the town is backed by proper planning and infrastructure assessments.
This includes amending the dates for Byerwen Mine to move its workforce into Glenden, in order to provide a more realistic timeframe for consultation and planning.
The Byerwen Mine camp will not close and will continue to operate.
A sustainable model for Glenden will be achieved through shared responsibility for investment amongst all stakeholders.
The revised timeline aligns with ongoing work to develop a long-term, sustainable model for Glenden's future, particularly around water security and essential services.
This work will be supported by a housing and town infrastructure assessment to facilitate future planning, which is expected to be completed over the coming months.
Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dale Last said the revised workforce transition would provide the certainty Labor failed to deliver.
"The Crisafulli Government is committed to ensuring Glenden has a viable and sustainable future, with the investment and planning it needs to thrive," Minister Last said.
"We're giving workers, businesses, the mining industry, and the community a clear and achievable path forward - which actually considers what Glenden needs to be sustainable into the future.
"This revised transition timeline gives us time to work with all stakeholders and consider serious issues like housing quality and water security – problems Labor ignored.
"Unlike Labor, we won't play political games with regional Queenslanders' livelihoods.
"Labor imposed conditions on Byerwen Mine without putting in place the critical infrastructure and support needed to make it work. The result? Chaos, uncertainty, and an entire community left in limbo.
"Glenden residents sent Labor a clear message at last year's State election. They rejected Labor's political stunts and backed our plan to deliver a sustainable path forward for their community."
