Coal miners dudded by ‘inferior’ transition help
As demand for the fuel declines, tens of thousands of export coal workers could miss out on gold-standard federal support to retrain for new careers.
Unions representing coal communities, a business group and local authorities have all voiced support for including export mineworkers in the Commonwealth’s flagship workforce transition programme.
The Energy Sector Business Plan was created in 2024 to support employees at closed coal power plants and affiliated mines with skill development, financial planning and other services that will support their career transitions.
Diverse views on the Net Zero Economy Authority’s review schema It argues that it should be opened up to more workers affected by global decarbonisation, including export miners and workers in other emissions-intensive sectors.
Jeff Drayton, mayor of the coal-dominated Muswellbrook Shire council, said the mining industry was “as much at the forefront of the transition as its counterparts in coal-fired stations”.
He described a “two-tier system” in which power generation workers were covered under the federal program, while mining workers were only sometimes covered under “lesser” Regional Workforce Transition Plans.
The latter does not mandate employers’ participation in “comprehensive” transition assistance, the mayor wrote in his presentation.
“If this two-tiered system of aid and assistance for workers is not addressed, this anomaly will actually exacerbate rather than alleviate distress and anxiety in our society.”
The closure of the region’s Bayswater station threatens 1,000 jobs, while the closure of Mt Arthur and Mangoola mines could displace more than 12,000 workers.
Unions were also in favor of expanding the scope; The Mining and Energy Union has acknowledged the “structural decline” of the coal export sector.
“Due to reduced coal demand from key export customers resulting from net zero targets, difficulties in obtaining environmental and planning approvals for extensions, or pressure from shareholders,” the union’s presentation said.
the federal government’s own modeling recognizes that demand for fuel has weakened; Treasury figures suggest the value of coal and gas exports could fall by 50 per cent by 2030.
Hunter Jobs Alliance coordinator Justin Page said there was growing support in the region for the federal transition plan to include export miners, given that 90 percent of coal from the region is shipped overseas.
His organisation, representing unions and environmental groups, was of the view that the export sector was in decline and some mines were planned to close by the end of the decade.
However, exports are expected to continue at least until the middle of the century.
Business Hunter, which represents businesses in the region, also recognized the benefits of applying a similar framework offered to power station workers to the wider mining sector.
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