Business
17 July, 2024
Mayor calls for permanent housing, rather than mining camp for CopperString
McKinlay Shire mayor Janene Fegan says temporary infrastructure won't leave behind a legacy.
CopperString project worker camps should be built as “motel-style” accommodation that can remain after the construction phase is completed, according to McKinlay Shire mayor Janene Fegan.
While Premier Steven Miles and his ministers were keen to pose in hardhats at the turning of the first sod at the Hughenden work camp site last week, Cr Fegan has renewed lobbying efforts for the $5 billion transmission line project to leave legacy infrastructure that will provide livability benefits for residents beyond the scheme’s expected completion in 2029.
With up to 250 workers expected to be accommodated at Julia Creek, Cr Fegan told North West Weekly there was a significant opportunity for state-owned Powerlink to deliver both the required housing for its project as well as structures of real value to the community.
“Twenty rooms is no different to a motel – it’s a bunch of rooms with a bed and a shower with somewhere to eat and drink at the end of the building,” Cr Fegan said.
“We only have one pub and one place to eat in Julia Creek – if Powerlink built a motel-style building then it could be the legacy that is left behind from this project.
“Our community can utilise the rooms and the restaurant area in the future.”
Cr Fegan said McKinlay Shire was yet to finalise access agreements with Powerlink for worker camps proposed on council land, which provided some leverage to negotiate on the layout and presentation of the camps.
It is understood Powerlink has previously presented its proposed worker camp plans to McKinlay councillors.
Flinders Shire agreed to an interim access agreement with Powerlink in June, which Mayor Kate Peddle said would provide increased time for council to negotiate its legacy infrastructure proposals ahead of a final settlement.
Cr Fegan will journey to Brisbane next week to meet with key CopperString decision makers, including the Office of the Coordinator General and government ministers, to press the case for legacy infrastructure in the project rollout.
“We want a camp that looks reasonable in our community because it is right next door to our subdivision,” she said.
“We are going to aim for the sky.”
Cr Fegan said she witnessed worker camps constructed to accommodate 120 Queensland Rail workers following the devastating floods at Julia Creek in 2019, only to also see these facilities hastily dismantled once the recovery efforts were completed.
She said dismantling these camps created an additional cost to any project, which was money that could be better invested in building more permanent structures.
A Powerlink spokesperson said that discussions with McKinlay Shire over the construction of CopperString’s workforce accommodation site at Julia Creek were ongoing.
“Powerlink is committed to leaving lasting legacies for communities, while also building fit-for-purpose accommodation for workers constructing this nation-building project,” the spokesperson said.
Cr Fegan said she would also use her Brisbane trip to continue lobbying efforts for a Julia Creek substation to be included in the CopperString rollout.
As previously reported by North West Weekly, Powerlink was in the final stages of preparing its Critical Minerals and Renewables Enablement Study, which was expected to include discussion on the how reliable energy supply can be provided to all communities along the CopperString transmission line to enable economic growth.
Millions of dollars in renewable energy and critical minerals projects are currently in jeopardy due to stagnated power supply at Julia Creek.
Cr Fegan said McKinlay Shire Council was awaiting the recommendations from the enablement study, which is now overdue to be presented to State Minister for Energy Mick de Brenni for consideration.
“I told the Premier (at Hughenden last week) that his speech at the sod turning was very good but I let him know that without a substation the Powerlink project is not going to mean anything for our shire,” Cr Fegan said.
“I am an optimist so I am going to continue waiting for a positive response.”