The Federal Government has granted 30 million dollars to a national consortium led by the University of Queensland and the University of Western Australia to help regional communities transition to sustainable futures after their local mines close.
The decision to allocate funding stemmed from the acknowledgement that several large mines in Western Australia and Queensland are expected to reach the end of production within the next ten years, leaving mining communities vulnerable.
The funding will help the consortium to establish a Cooperative Research Centre on Transformations in Mining Economies with hubs in Queensland and Western Australia.
UQ’s Sustainable Minerals Institute and the Centre Research Director, Anna Littleboy says the centre is expected to provide more than 2.4 billion dollars of benefit as industry partners, communities and governments unite to create new development opportunities and regional jobs.