2 weeks Ago By Damon Cronshaw
Hunter MP Dan Repacholi has joined the coal belt's mayors in slamming comments made by Peter Dutton about the region's future. Login or signup to continue reading Mr Repacholi said the Opposition Leader had written off "thousands of hardworking Hunter residents with one sentence". Mr Dutton had told Channel 7's Sunrise program, "if you look at an area like the Hunter or really any coal mining area - their jobs and that industry - that town is done".
Mr Repacholi said the Liberal leader's plan for the Hunter was to "slash wages, tell us we're 'done', and bow to China". "No thanks mate," Mr Repacholi said. "Coal miners have powered this country for generations.
"If Peter Dutton spent less time at Sydney cocktail parties and more time in the Hunter, he'd know our mining towns are full of workers building a strong future." When given the chance to clarify the comments, Mr Dutton's spokesperson said they referred to his party's plan to find new jobs for coal-fired power station workers. Mr Dutton has pledged to build seven nuclear reactors, including one at Liddell Power Station at Muswellbrook.
He believes Hunter coal-plant jobs can be replaced at a nuclear power station . His spokesperson added that "Labor's plan is for renewables only". "What will the power station workers do," she said.
Singleton mayor Sue Moore said she was "very disappointed in his [Mr Dutton's] lack of understanding of the Hunter". "Most of our coal goes to export. The good stuff goes overseas.
We burn the crap stuff here," Ms Moore said. "Some of our coal mines have another 20 years to go and some still have approvals for extensions." Ms Moore said coal mining would "continue as long as the approvals allow it".
"Beyond that, we met his advisors when we went to Canberra. Our push was to reuse mine land for all sorts of industries. This clearly hasn't gotten through.
" Paterson MP Meryl Swanson said "the Hunter is not done". "We have only just begun," Ms Swanson said. "I will never give up on our mine workers.
We will never sell out their wages or weaken their conditions." Muswellbrook mayor Jeff Drayton said the area did not need "eulogies on morning TV or doom and gloom about our future". "What we need from our federal leaders this election is real, binding commitments," Mr Drayton said.
"I'm hopeful our positive conversations with our federal member [for New England] Barnaby Joyce are more indicative of the view in Canberra of Muswellbrook and the Hunter." Mr Joyce said: "I believe Mr Dutton is saying we have to broaden the economic base in regional mining areas". "But that is not at the exclusion of the coal industry, which is vital to Regional Australia and our nation's terms of trade and underpins our standard of living.
" The CSIRO estimated last year that a nuclear reactor would take at least 15 years to develop in Australia. Mr Drayton said the Hunter had "more than 3000 local jobs on the line within five years, and more than 12,000 jobs in the Hunter from pit to port". He said it was "fine for our leaders to wring their hands over the mine closures we're facing right now".
"But respectfully, tell us something we don't know. It's time to finally talk to us about what we need from Canberra." Committee for the Hunter CEO Alice Thompson said "Hunter towns are not going under as coal mining changes, with or without nuclear in the mix".
"The Hunter's communities and economy have what it takes to multiply jobs and economic activity currently provided by coal," Ms Thompson said. "With the main impacts projected over the next 15 years, focus needs to be on actions that create confidence today and jobs tomorrow." The Mining and Energy Union's Robin Williams said "our coal industry is still going strong, but we do need to plan for changes to demand in the future.
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