‘The Social Failure of Mining’ – Howard Guille

Howard Guille is a respected political economist and former Secretary of the Queensland Division of the National Tertiary Education Union. He is a Research Associate of the TJ Ryan Foundation. In September 2016, at a TJ Ryan Foundation / QCU seminar on ‘Jobs of the future in an uncertain environment’, Howard presented a paper on the social failure of mining. His analysis exposed Adani and other proponents of mining in Queensland for ‘exaggerating the contribution of mining generally and specific mines in particular.’ This exaggeration has been most evident, he noted, ‘in claims about jobs and economic value.’ He called for an overhaul of decision making around major investment proposals to ensure communities and unions are consulted and the rights of traditional owners are respected. The paper can be found here on the TJ Ryan Foundation website.