The announcement by former Isaac Regional Council Mayor Anne Baker that she is running as the Labor candidate for Burdekin is both disappointing and damning for the Queensland mining industry, Energy Resources Queensland (ERQ) said today.
“Last week’s hurried announcement highlights what we have said all along – Anne Baker needed a headline to leverage herself into State Parliament and that is why she concocted the save Glenden announcement,” ERQ spokesperson Paul Turner said today.
“As we now know, Anne Baker and the State Government did not save Glenden, and did not even care about it until it became a political hot potato,” he said.
“Former Mayor Anne Baker stood by while Glenden deteriorated from a thriving mining town of 1300 to the current run down and ignored town of 200.
“If anyone is to blame for the current state of the town, it is former mayor Anne Baker.
While she effectively deflected that blame during her so-called “save Glenden” campaign, the facts speak much larger than her hollow words.”
During Anne Baker’s time as mayor:
The population of Glenden declined by more than 80 per cent
Glencore’s nearby Hail Creek mine camp was approved (Aug 22) meaning 1000 workers would live in that camp rather than in the company’s mining town of Glenden
The supermarket, newsagent, pharmacy and almost every shop closed
The years 1-12 school’s population dropped to under 40
The childcare centre closed
The golf club closed
The bowls club closed
The town tip closes on June 30
“Far from saving Glenden, former mayor Anne Baker doomed this town,” Mr Turner said.
“As mayor Anne Baker supported the 1000-person mining camp at Glencore’s Hail Creek which is the same distance from Glenden as the Byerwen mine she is now working to close.
“Anne Baker never spoke to the 800 workers at Byerwen, many of them who live in Isaac Regional Council and almost 60 per cent of whom live within two hours of Glenden or asked them what impact her political campaign would have on their lives and safety,” he said.
ERQ is running a campaign to have the State Government overturn legislation it introduced with no consultation or reference to a Parliamentary Committee which will force the Queensland-owned and operating QCoal mining company to close its onsite Byerwen mine camp and force its 800 workers to live in Glenden.