THE Hunter is the centre of national and international political attention over coal, renewables and climate change after Joel Fitzgibbon's explosive exit a week ago from the federal Labor opposition front bench.
A number of Coalition heavyweights are either in the region or planning to visit, while Labor opposition leader Anthony Albanese will tour Tomago Aluminium today, promoting his party's Rewiring the Nation policy - a $20billion promise to rebuild and modernise the grid".
The Morrison government's Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia, Keith Pitt, began a two-day visit yesterday with a tours of Glencore's Bulga open-cut in the morning, and it's Liddell open-cut - looking at mine rehabilitation - in the afternoon.
Mr Pitt, Liberal MP for the Bundaberg region seat of Hinkler, was accompanied by National Party NSW Senator Perin Davey.
Mr Pitt said today's schedule included a visit to the Port Waratah Coal Services coal loader at Kooragang Island and a tour of University of Newcastle facilities including the Newcastle Institute for Energy Research (NIER).
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said he would be in the Hunter "soon".