The Queensland government has announced a $100 million plan over three years to improve facilities in the state’s thriving mining towns.

Under the Sustainable Resource Communities Agreement, mining companies will have to talk to the state government about their projects before they could go ahead, said Premier Anna Bligh at the opening of a new coal education centre in the town of Blackwater on Sunday.
Bligh said the agreement was aimed at strengthening partnerships between government, industry and local communities and improving the regulatory environment for social impact assessment for new resource developments.
“It will be backed by a $100 million funding program over three years for economic and social infrastructure in regional and rural communities in key mining areas,” Bligh said.
“Projects may include new or upgraded roads, schools and health facilities.”
Signatories to the agreement are the state government, Local Government Association of Queensland and the Queensland Resources Council (QRC).
The first group meeting will be in the town of Moranbah on September 11.
Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche said the targeted government funding for infrastructure was a welcome boost for community development and other assistance programs that have been sponsored by mining companies for many decades.
“QRC and its members have lobbied strongly to ensure that the needs of communities in regions such as the Bowen and Surat Basins and North West Queensland are recognised and rewarded through tangible returns such as improved community services,” Roche said.
Improvements in resource community infrastructure were critical to attract and retain employees, especially with economic forecasters pointing to a potential doubling in size of the coal industry by 2020, he said.