High noon stand-off in Mount Isa

It’s high noon in Mount Isa where the local member is saying to Swiss commodities trading giant Glencore, ‘it’s you or me’. And Member for Traeger Robbie Katter (pictured above) is going nowhere. Glencore has announced the closure of copper mining operations Enterprise, X-41, Black Rock and the copper concentrator in the city within two years. The company said the jobs of 1200 workers are at stake and management would try to relocate them into the lead and zinc and other streams of the business also operating in Mount Isa. Related: Mount Isa Mines operational changes Redundancies would be the last resort, the company said in a statement. The move reminded him of the recent actions of Qantas putting profit ahead of people, Mr Katter said. “They've sullied the name of Mount Isa Mines and a city that was built on and had a lot of loyalty to the mine and they've done their best to ruin that over their tenure. “They don't hate the town or hold something against it, but their interests lie in other areas and they might be good to their shareholders, but they're not good to the citizens of Queensland. “They're not your preferred business owner in the way that they're not on board with trying to develop and build north-west Queensland." The immediate focus was on briefing their people and suppliers a Glencore spokesperson said. Chief operating officer of Glencore’s zinc assets in Australia, Sam Strohmayr. “We will be working with all levels of government on how best to help the community transition for the longer-term future following the closure of the copper underground mining assets,” the spokesperson said. “We have also initiated the development of a Social Transition Plan to address potential issues and help shape a collective vision for Mount Isa. Related: Facebook recording by Chief Operating Officer of Glencore’s Zinc Assets in Australia, Sam Strohmayr “The purpose of the plan is to develop a prioritised list of initiatives and opportunities to support the local community, workforce and businesses through the transition and into the longer-term future. “In the coming months we will be providing a range of forums for people to find out more information, ask questions and provide their feedback.” 'The sooner they've gone the better' - Katter Glencore had never shown a long-term commitment to the region, Mr Katter said. “I mean, look at their attitude towards Copperstring. They were really no help at all through most of the way and would make no commitment. You never hear any expansion plans, you never hear any long-term views the whole time they've owned it. “All we ever get is complaints around town that you never hear anything from the mines anymore. They tell us ‘we'll be shutting down soon or we're shutting the copper smelter’ and this time it's a shutting the copper operations. “So it hasn't been a pleasant experience. The sooner they've gone out of the region the better.” It was time to get new blood into the operation to reinvigorate the mine and the area, he said. “The real question to ask here is do we have the right sort of owner for this type of mine? It is getting towards the lower grade ore. It is depleted as an ore body in the copper, but it's a massive operation and there's still life left in the old girl yet. “ (Ernest Henry) had a few years left to run according to Glencore. And Evolution comes in with an appetite for a bit more risk and willing to take a long-term view and hey Presto. “They go chasing some investment capital and bang, we've got another 17 years for someone that's got the gumption and the appetite to develop and grow Northwest Queensland. And I think we've got the opposite with Glencore. “They sold Cobar, they sold Ernest Henry, we'd love to see them sell Mount Isa.”

High noon stand-off in Mount Isa

Industry Queensland

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