Macfarlane to retire as head of Qld mining lobby group
John Crouch |
Ian Macfarlane has announced he is retiring as boss of the Queensland Resources Council after seven years in the role.
The former federal coalition minister will finish by the end of the year but vowed the industry would continue its campaign against the Queensland government’s progressive royalties regime.
Mr Macfarlane has led the council’s campaign against the tax increase introduced by the Palaszczuk government last year, which has resulted in a massive increase in coal and gas revenue and a historic surplus in the budget handed down in June.
Mr Macfarlane slammed the taxes as the highest in the world and five times the rate of NSW, saying they were driving down confidence and investment.
“The resources sector is more important to Queensland than ever before,” he said in a statement on Monday.
“It is the basis of Queensland’s economic prosperity, ongoing jobs and our future success, and it’s worth standing up for.”
Mr Macfarlane said the resources sector was undergoing a period of great transformation as companies moved to decarbonise their operations.
“Our determination to reduce our industry’s environmental impact will continue under new leadership at the QRC, along with an ongoing commitment to make our workplaces safer and more diverse and inclusive for all employees,” he said.
President Brent Gunther thanked Mr Macfarlane, saying he had been a strong advocate for not only the resource sector but also for mining communities, mining suppliers and tens of thousands of Queensland mining workers.
The council’s board will begin a global search for a replacement, with Mr Macfarlane continuing in his role until a successor is found.
Mr Macfarlane, 68, was the Liberal member for the Queensland federal seat of Groom from 1998 to 2016.
He was resources minister from 2001 to 2007 and later industry minister from 2013 to 2015.
AAP
