By retired miner Darryl Best
The majority of coal produced in Australia is for the export market. This demand has been gradually decreasing, with sales to our five major markets – Japan, China, India, South Korea and Taiwan – all declining by between 11% and 24% since 2023. This is also a continuing trend, despite the surge in 2022 due to the energy crisis.
There is a lot of talk about climate change, mostly about changes to our weather, fires, floods, warming waters. But climate change is changing the world in ways other than just the weather.
All over the world, philosophical changes by countries to move toward renewables mean that the power they generate and the steel they produce or import will be done using sources other than coal. This means they will stop buying our coal to fire their power stations and steel works. Some countries already tax fossil-fuel-produced goods.
When other countries stop buying our coal it will create massive unemployment when the mines close. We will not be immune in the Illawarra.
The amount of coal needed for the Port Kembla steelworks can be supplied by just one of the local mines – and not even operating at full capacity.
The positive aspect is that it isn’t going to happen in the next few years. It may slowly decline for 10 or maybe 15 years. That is why it is vital to establish renewable industries as soon as possible, especially in areas where fossil fuel industries will close.
Renewable industries take years to establish. Whether it is an offshore wind farm, a solar farm or hydrogen, they all take time. This period of grace should be used constructively to create jobs for people like mine workers to transition into.
I worked in an industry where job losses and mine closures are common. I know what effect this has on the workers, families and communities. It is devastating. I have experienced this personally. It is not an easy thing to cope with. In the past, there were other mines opening. That is not the case now. Look at what happened at Russell Vale, where the mine closed causing a mass lay-off of workers.
We should not pretend that this won’t happen and continue to argue against renewable industries.
To do this and wait until the mines close before acting, is to sell out all the people who have worked in an industry that helped to make Australia and its communities prosperous. That is just wrong!
