23 Jun 2011

Government urged to move on mine safety

11:01 am on 23 June 2011

The Government is being urged to move quickly to improve safety in underground coal mines before there is another fatal accident.

But Minister of Labour Kate Wilkinson says changes to mine safety laws will only happen once the Royal Commission on the Pike River disaster has reported back.

The Green Party says that could happen as late as 2013, and in the meantime, miners are going underground every day.

Labour MP Damien O'Connor says the Royal Commission must be given the space to do its job, but changes can be made now to make mines safer.

The National Party MP for West Coast-Tasman, Chris Auchinvole, says he can understand the concerns over Pike River in particular, but says there has been an audit of other mines.

Twenty-nine men were killed in a series of explosions that began at the West Coast mine on 19 November last year. Only two men, Daniel Rockhouse and Russell Smith, managed to walk out of the mine.