ENSURING A SOCIALLY JUST MINING BOOM

22 August 2008

SA Unions Secretary Janet Giles says the business lobby is out of touch with its outrageous comments suggesting the mining industry has no obligation to contribute to the state's social growth.

Ms Giles will today (Friday 22 August) address a SACOSS Social Inclusion Conference as part of a panel discussion looking at social justice, government and business.

She'll use the opportunity as a right of reply to comments made at the same conference yesterday by Business SA Chief Peter Vaughan, who posed the question "why do they have any obligation at all other than to earn profits"?

Ms Giles contends that all of society has a responsibility to strive for equity and justice, even big business.

"We want a socially just mining boom, not one that serves only a small part of our society. With careful consideration and good policies, it ought to be possible to share the wealth."

"The bigger the company and its profits, the bigger its opportunity to contribute to the community around it."

"Companies like BHP Billiton, which this week posted a $17.6 billion profit - nearly double out state's total annual exports of $10.6 billion - have a huge capacity to contribute and work with South Australia to show the world that a socially just mining boom is achievable."

"Mr Vaughan appears to have the 1980's ethos of Gordon Gekko - greed is good - whereas the rest of society has moved on and is recognising the social and economic benefits of mutual support."

"It's a simple principle of exchange - somebody wants something, they give something in return.  A company wants to dig up our resources, the community wants to share in that wealth via jobs.  The people of South Australia should not simply be fodder for exploitation."

"We're not asking business to be a charity, but to invest in opportunities for the community is exists in, and that community will repay it with a strong workforce and vibrant economy that can buy its products", Ms Giles says.