Well the Federal election has been called – no big surprise given the fact our Prime Minister wants and needs to win a mandate in his own right.
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Whether he does or Opposition leader Bill Shorten becomes the next PM only time and eight weeks of electioneering will decide.
All residents of voting age please take the time to study the policies and make a considered judgement on July 2.
No where is the changing dynamics of the so-called move from mining investment to the next big thing felt more than in the Singleton community.
Do we expect mining to underpin our economy for the foreseeable future and then hit the panic bottom once it declines?
Or do we start planning now and nurture other industries so we have other opportunities once mining either moves to fresh fields or is priced out of the market by government laws and regulations and or by the development of cheaper energy options.
Mining has provided the local economy with a once in a lifetime productivity boost. At the height of the boom in 2011/12 wages, house prices, rent and job opportunities appeared limitless.
Different situation today. To survive the tougher market conditions mining companies have had to cut costs and that has no doubt hurt many people.
Perhaps the situation is now stabilised and the companies will just tick along for a number of years without any major ups or downs.
However an article in the the Australian Financial Review this week states in South Australia where on some days when the wind is strong and the sun is shining about 50 per cent of all generation is from renewables.Which means in that state high cost coal fired power plants are being shut down.
We would be foolish to think the success of renewables in SA won’t be replicated throughout the country.
An example of the changing economy is a proposal to build a large meat processing facility near Denman. According to documents received by the Department of Planning relating to the project as much power as possible to run this facility will be sourced from solar energy. A solar plant will be built on site.
So rather than knock the messenger we should embrace change and see opportunities in new industries because failure to do so is economic stagnation.