The Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) launched a national campaign in Canberra on Wednesday, ‘The Mining Boom, let’s spread it around.’

The campaign includes a significant national television commercial buy, to roll out nationally well into 2013, as well as rallies, public meetings, mass meetings of workers and other events across Australia.
CFMEU National Secretary Michael O’Connor said that there was a legitimate community expectation that the benefits of the current, unprecedented mining boom should be felt across Australia.

“Unfortunately it has become clear that the benefits of the boom are not being spread around,” Mr O’Connor said.

“Even in communities where most people would expect high paying jobs in the mining industry to be available to anyone who wanted them, such as the Hunter Valley in NSW, that is simply not the case.”
 
“As our ads show, it is easy to find, even in mining regions, people who simply cannot get a start in the industry.  Yet at the same time our mining industry billionaires are turning their backs on local workers willing to work, in favor of thousands of lower paid temporary overseas workers.”
 
“The mining boom has to work for all Australians.  Currently it is only working for a very few, while distorting other parts of the economy, such as manufacturing and construction.”

“We think the nation deserves better and we will be stepping up our lobbying and other efforts under the banner of this campaign over the next year, to ensure working people, their families and communities do not miss out.”