Last year, at this time of year, I stood on this podium and said what a dismal year it was going to be for the Australian coal industry. I could probably say the same thing again and sit down and shut up, but the organisers want a little more. Actually, by virtue of the efforts of management, the workforce, railways, ports, etc., the last twelve months have turned out to have been significantly less traumatic than might have been expected. For us causal observers of the coal scene, and especially the Queensland coal scene, one of the more fascinating aspects has been the performance of longwalls; or should I say non-performance. However, despite owning a long disused geological hat, I am not even remotely qualified to pontificate as to the whys and wherefores of this phenomenon and I look forward to listening to your discussions on this topic.
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