September 23, 2022
More than $200,000 in student scholarships is being offered by the mining industry to help improve land rehabilitation after the closure of coal mines.
Resources Minister Scott Stewart said applications were now open for the Queensland Resources Council’s Coal Mine Site Rehabilitation scholarships which will give up to two Queensland university students the chance to pursue postgraduate studies in world-class environmental management.
“Mine rehabilitation is now a key part of company policies and the life of mine planning cycle,” Minister Stewart said.
“Not only is it important for the environment but rehabilitation programs help create more jobs for Queenslanders after a mine is no longer in use.
“While much progress has been made, I support the industry’s continuing efforts to improve rehabilitation methods to ensure mining is compatible with current and future land uses.
“Mine rehabilitation is highly regulated, better implemented and more accountable than ever before, but we need ongoing research to fill knowledge gaps and identify future issues to ensure we can have confidence in the industry’s ability to manage and reduce its impacts.”
The successful recipients will receive $35,000 a year for up to three years to conduct their research.
QRC Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane said the industry needed more world-class experts to continually innovate and lead the resources sector’s rehabilitation practices.
“The scholarships will benefit individual students but will also benefit our industry because we need innovation and fresh thinking to help us continually improve our practices,” Mr Macfarlane said.
- More information is available online
