Newcastle Knights legend Kurt Gidley recently launched this year's hi-vis mining jersey for the Knights to wear at the upcoming Voice for Mining Family Day on April 4 when the team will play the Dragons at McDonald Jones Stadium.
It's an important game for the Knights, and a big day for the mining families of the region too.
At the launch Kurt spoke of the emotions he felt when he first took the field wearing the hi-vis mining jersey, in particular the pride he felt representing his father, who had a long career working as a coal train driver.
It was a strong reminder of just how much mining is part of the heritage and heart of the Hunter.
For decades there's been agreement on the need to strengthen and diversify the Hunter economy.
All communities and economies diversify over time. It's a direct result of progress, and most successful when it happens gradually and organically, driven by local innovators and entrepreneurs responding to new and emerging opportunities.
Sometimes government help may be needed. However, a truly strong and diverse economy must be able to stand on its own, and while the production of expensive studies and reports on the future of the Hunter has become its own growth industry for consultants, the thousands of pages produced by these reports deliver few jobs.
Fortunately the Hunter economy is well placed to continue to strengthen and diversify. Opportunities are emerging all the time, and there's a critical mass of innovators and entrepreneurs willing to take risks and seek new opportunities.
The Hunter also has a base of well-established and stable local industries with natural advantages that continue to deliver jobs and economic benefits, including the mining sector.
The Hunter economy is well placed to continue to strengthen and diversify.
The NSW Minerals Council recently released the results of our annual member company Expenditure Survey showing the very strong contribution the local mining sector continues to make to the Hunter.
The survey found that in the last financial year the 28 participating mining companies directly injected $6.2 billion into the Hunter economy, supporting more than 13,000 Hunter mining jobs and 3400 local supplier businesses.
While the 13,000 Hunter mining jobs supported by our member companies was around the same as the previous year, the $6.2 billion in direct spending in the Hunter represented an annual increase of around $800 million.
In addition, the 3400 mining supplier businesses that were part of the mining supply chain in the last financial year represented an increase of 126 Hunter businesses compared with the previous year.
The $6.2 billion in direct spending by mining companies in the Hunter is estimated to have contributed about 28 per cent of the Gross Regional Product of the Hunter economy in 2019-20.
This is a significant contribution by any measure, and slightly higher than the previous year.
This overall increase in economic support for the Hunter provided by our member companies during the survey period highlights the resilience of the local mining sector during tough times.
With strict COVID-19 protocols in place our industry kept operating throughout 2020 while maintaining the safety of our miners, their families and our mining communities across NSW.
The $6.2 billion spent on wages and salaries for mining workers and on goods and services from local mining supplier businesses was clearly an important factor in keeping the Hunter economy going last year too.
The strong ongoing contribution from the mining sector also defies the regular predictions from some of the imminent end of the Hunter coal industry and those demanding a fast 'transition' to some unidentified new set of future industries to replace mining.
Such calls are often driven by those who want us to stop supplying coal even as strong levels of demand continue as expected.
Diversification of the Hunter economy should be supported and encouraged over the long term.
At the same time, mining will continue to provide the region with a strong base of local jobs, investment and economic growth for decades.
This will help us all to build an ever stronger Hunter economy for the future.
