Ian Rickuss was the chair of the parliamentary hearings at which landowners appeared before to give evidence of poor treatment by resource companies and to plead to the government not to take away further rights in the new Mineral & Energy Resource (Common Provision) Bill. Rickuss showed little sympathy, no empathy, he had little understanding of the reality in which landowners have to operate and indicated little inculcation to learn from what was being said. From the Mackay transcript Rickuss is insenitive and talks over the top of Jeanette Williams from near Moranbah. WILLIAMS, Ms Jeanette, Private capacity Ms Williams: Hello everybody. We deal with nine resource companies and it has been completely overwhelming. Sometimes I have had 30 phone calls a day. We are six generations on the land. I have read the mining act and the other landholders here have covered everything very well—very impressed; overwhelmed by some of the things that landowners know. All I can say is, when you deal with a resource company, it is very overwhelming. We have six children. We have 200,000 acres. To some that would be a lot. We have drillers, gas companies all over it trying to— CHAIR: Where abouts are you, if you do not mind me asking? Ms Williams: We are 48 kilometres north-west of Moranbah. I have seen what has happened to the town of Moranbah. I had good friends there. They have all left. To me, now, it is just a men’s camp. I am not sure whether fly-in fly-out is the answer, but it certainly has affected the community. I will not go into the mining act, because that has been covered very well. I would just like to impress that, when you start dealing with mining companies and you are trying to run our own business, you have to sit there and listen to their jargon and they have all the support of the government. I feel that we get none. CHAIR: Could I just give you and any other landholders a bit of advice? When you are dealing with mining companies, set some of the ground rules. Ms Williams: We try to. CHAIR: But just set them. Just put them in place. You will meet them at midnight on Saturday night after you have come home from the dance. That is the only time. You set the ground rules. Do not start letting them set the ground rules Mrs Williams: We don’t. We tell them, ring us after—we have had phone calls up to nine o’clock at night. They want to know how much rain we have had so that they can come back on because the drillers are upset because they have nothing to do. Mate, go and buy them a Play Station! CHAIR: That is right and tell them to put in automated rain gauges. Mrs Williams: We have. We have told them that. CHAIR: Make sure you set the ground rules, but put it all in writing. Mrs Williams: It is in writing. I have notebooks upon notebooks. I would love to have some notes to give you, but they are at home. CHAIR: By all means, send some through to the committee if you wish. Mrs Williams: You cannot take any more rights away from us. CHAIR: Thank you. https://parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/committees/AREC/2014/24-MinEngResBill/Trns-20Aug2014Mackay.pdf
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 08:57:13 +0000
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