18 February 2026

Whitehaven champions long-term outlook and calls for industry to speak up

Story originally published by Hunter Mining Club 

16 February 2026, Singleton – The Hunter Mining Club’s first event for 2026 drew over 250 mining industry representatives to Singleton Diggers last week, with Whitehaven Coal’s Regional GM NSW Sean Milfull delivering a confident outlook for the company’s NSW operations, along with a rallying call for the industry to find its voice.

In a fireside chat with Hunter Mining Club Director Jodie Currie, Milfull outlined Whitehaven’s significant development pipeline in New South Wales, including the Vickery expansion, Narrabri Stage 3 underground extension and the Maules Creek Continuation Project.

“All together these three large opportunities present us with long-term stability, operations out into the 2040s, and gives some confidence to our workforce, communities, and the region,” Milfull said.

On the demand outlook for coal, Milfull was unequivocal: “The reality is, we’re here to stay and the outlook is positive. Our customers are telling us they want more security of our quality coal, and global supply and demand forecasts for the coal that we produce are particularly strong.”

“Demand is expected to grow and at the same time supply is forecast to retract and reduce, and it’s largely a result of the underinvestment in new projects, in part due to the ESG challenges that we’re experiencing as an industry.”

Milfull spoke candidly about the approvals challenges facing the sector, describing the growing regulatory burden as a risk not just to mining but to major projects across the country.

“It’s the uncertainty. New projects are taking longer. There’s more duplication. There’s more layers of assessment as we go through,” he said. “It’s hard, it’s restrictive, and it’s very expensive. This isn’t just a mining issue – it’s councils, infrastructure, major projects across our country. It creates operational risk and we need certainty to plan and invest for our businesses.”

In a standout moment, Milfull invited Whitehaven’s Manager Community Relations, Jabin de Keizer, to the stage to share an overview of submissions on the Maules Creek Continuation Project. Of 670 submissions received during the exhibition period, 67 per cent were in support of the project, with local backing even stronger: 99 per cent of submissions from Gunnedah, 90 per cent from Tamworth, and 85 per cent from Narrabri, were in support.

Milfull urged attendees to become more vocal advocates for the industry’s contribution to their communities, jobs and regional economies.

“Coal’s critical. It’s critical for our region, New South Wales, Australia, and our trading partners,” Milfull said. “If we want approvals to keep pace with the operations, if we want secure jobs and thriving regional towns, we need to speak up. Being quietly supportive isn’t enough anymore.”

Milfull also highlighted Whitehaven’s commitment to progressive rehabilitation, local procurement and community investment, noting the company spent more than half a billion dollars in the New South Wales region last year. He pointed to Maules Creek’s Indigenous employment rate of 13 per cent as a source of pride, alongside Whitehaven’s strong relationships with local and regional suppliers.

“We’ve invested a lot of time, resources and money into our current position and we wouldn’t do that if we weren’t optimistic about the future,” he said.

Stuart Bocking from Coal Australia also addressed the gathering, equipping attendees with facts and figures to support conversations about the industry’s future, including record global coal demand of 8.85 billion tonnes and the Australian Energy Market Operator’s assessment that coal will be required in Australia’s electricity grid until 2049.

Hunter Mining Club Director Jodie Currie said the sold-out event reinforced the growing momentum behind the HMC’s mission to unite and advocate for the coal mining industry across the Hunter and surrounding regions.

“Sean’s message was clear: this industry has a long and strong future, but it’s up to all of us to make sure that story is heard. The level of engagement in this room today shows that our industry is ready to step up and advocate for the jobs, the investment and the communities that depend on what we do. The Hunter Mining Club will continue to provide that platform for collaboration and unified advocacy,” Currie said.

The next Hunter Mining Club luncheon will be held on Thursday 18 June, with tickets to go on sale in early May. For more information or to sign up for event updates, visit www.hunterminingclub.com.

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