The Hodgman Liberal Government is backing our mining and minerals processing sector to drive economic growth and create jobs.
I was extremely pleased to visit Australian Bauxite Limited’s Bald Hill Mine near Campbell Town today, which is preparing to export its first shipment of bauxite by early September.
Works started in December and ABx is currently producing over a thousand tonnes a week as it continues to ramp up to full production, which will be around 6,000 tonnes a week. The ore will be exported from Bell Bay with the first shipment expected to be around 30-thousand tonnes.
Importantly, this project has already created a dozen direct jobs and further indirect jobs. ABx is also looking at other prospective sites in Tasmania, which has the potential to create even more jobs.
The success of the Bald Hill Mine comes at the perfect time for our state. The demand for our bauxite is high and the Australian dollar is low, giving us the opportunity to become a long-term player in the market place.
We need to capitalise on that momentum and that’s why in our mining and minerals processing sector, we are embracing new technology and innovation, sending a message to investors that Tasmania is open for business in mining and working with industry to cut through the barriers and get new projects off the ground.
We are seeing positive signs across the economy, with the highest business confidence in the nation and a booming construction sector, but we need to do more.
That’s why we’ve invested $24 million in the Budget to facilitate exploration and mining development while fostering and encouraging responsible land management in Tasmania.
We are also investing in promoting Tasmania nationally and internationally to prospective mineral exploration and mining companies through targeted and strategic marketing.
I congratulate ABx on its success with the Bald Hill Mine site. We will continue to support and work with our mining sector to capitalise on the industry as one of our state's key strengths to create jobs and grow the economy.