community, environment, infrastructure and housing availability. Water is subject to cumulative impacts involved in most of these issues. Cumulative impacts need to be addressed through collective planning and action, and this can provide a significant challenge for individual operations. The coal industry’s participation in the Hunter River Salinity Trading Scheme is a good example of government legislation supporting collective planning and action. Various Hunter River water users have been allocated salinity credits based on the capacity of the river in various reaches. Salinity credits can be traded or used to release mine water into the river under specific conditions. This system is allowing an organised and environmentally appropriate release of salty mine site waters. Connecting issues: Water involves use of people, materials and energy. There is emerging a realisation that leading practice must take account of collateral impacts. For example, in an attempt to meet corporate water targets using leading practice approaches, an operation may decide to install a water treatment plant only to realise that this will put the operation behind its energy and greenhouse emissions targets. Increasingly, interconnectivity between issues will need to be assessed quantitatively to ensure that leading operations effectively manage a range of potentially competing objectives. Connecting operations: There is an increasing trend to connect operations to provide flexibility in water systems. This handbook has provided a framework into which water sharing arrangements can be managed from the point of view of one or other of the operations involved. However, leading practice at a regional level is only just emerging. For example, clusters of industrial activities such as at Gladstone and Kwinana are beginning to demonstrate that a regionally-integrated system of leading practice water management can be developed. This approach has wide applications in other regions where there are many operations, for example, Kalgoorlie, Hunter Valley, Central Queensland and Pilbara. Skills: Leading practice as described in this handbook requires considerable skills. Not all operations have a team solely responsible for water or even a dedicated water manager. Therefore, it is increasingly important that personnel who do share responsibility for water issues are effectively trained and are supported by corporate schemes to share knowledge. Tertiary institutions have an important role to play in designing and delivering training courses which are relevant and accessible to those working in shifts in remote locations. New knowledge: Leading practice is dynamic and evolving. Industry–wide leading practice ensures that there are processes in place to develop and deliver new knowledge. Research and development is an effective mechanism for reducing costs and improving productivity, returns, occupational health and safety, and sustainability. Leading practice includes investment in programs of research and development, and their communication and dissemination. This means having testing protocols on site for new technologies that allow for learning,such as providing a testing and development environment that does not risk operational productivity or compliance. A major challenge is to formulate and deliver communication materials on new knowledge to the workforce. Few mining professionals have the opportunity to read copious technical publications.
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LEADING PRACTICE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR THE MINING INDUSTRY