Reply to CIOCM Peter Newman Fatality Report Access 18th Feb 2020
From: “stuvac stuvac” <stuvac@bigpond.com>
To: peter.newman@dnrme.qld.gov.au
Sent: Tuesday, 18 Feb, 2020 At 7:03 AM
Subject: Fwd: RE: Fatality Report Access
Peter;
Thank you for your reply.
I realise that the apparent cult of secrecy in the Mines Department means that you have been forced to send the reply about having to lodge RTI requests.
Rather than write a multi-page response can you please pass this on to the appropriate member of the Public Service making these decisions and also the Mines Minister.
The cult of secrecy is one of the main drivers for continuing fatalities in the States Mines and Quarries.
How the decision maker can decide to hide behind RTI at this point is ridiculous and in my view makes the Mines Department deliberately negligently complicit in further mine mine-worker fatalities.
I will just use one of the few examples available to the general public.
The Daniel Springer fatality report of the DNRME makes extensive findings on many matters that are basic.
Further the Mines Department findings do not in any way seem to have been subject to any action by the Mines Department.
For the DNRME to find the SSE at Goonyella Riverside Mine was in fact not the SSE, and not take any action is unbelievable and unforgivable.
In my view such inaction is straight dereliction of duty.
If the Mines Department has undertaken corrective actions, please tell me what they have been.
Given the SSE is supposed to be appointed by the Operator, how can the Operator not be culpable for this arrangement?
What has the Department done to prevent this same situation at Goonyella Riverside continuing; let alone other Mines run by the same Operator?
I have attached a word document containing a number of findings of the official DNRME Report.
Wonder why workers nearly drown in a dozer at one of its sister mines less than a year later, and then within 6 months a worker dies in a dozer when rolling into mud/water.
A couple of final points.
How the Department and Minister can release all the reports to Mr Parker, a person who by his own admission has never worked in the Coal Industry, has no Statutory Qualifications, no understanding of the Mining Acts, and then deliberately and wilfully prevent anyone else accessing the same information is logic only the Mines Department can follow.
Please on my behalf pass on this lack of information about Fatalities by the duly legislated safety oversight branch does in fact make Qld a world leader.
It is the only coal mining jurisdiction in at least the english speaking world I am aware of, that does not routinely publish these reports.
In my view the cult of secrecy is one of if not the major reason fatalities are still occurring.
