"Longstanding coal communities, like those in the Hunter and Illawarra regions, have powered our state for a long time. Lack of planning and economic diversification by government has delayed the energy transition, at a great cost to their health, and the environment.
We must start planning now for our energy transition, to ensure no-one is left behind," says Independent Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich.
Mr Greenwich was commenting on the just released parliamentary report into 'Sustainability of energy supply and resources in New South Wales' of which he was chair. The report was prepared by the Committee on Environment and Planning and based on their inquiry first established in 2019.
They heard from many and diverse stakeholders and according to the report's summary "What we heard from them generally stemmed from three issues - transition planning, infrastructure, and government support."
"A lot of work is being done in this space, and there are different views about what the future will or should look like. We heard overwhelmingly that thorough and clear planning is crucial, whatever the future."
The fact coal demand is changing due to cheaper renewable sources and technological advances, environmental concerns and climate change and the decision by governments in Australia (state) and overseas to commit to net zero emission by 2050. All these issues will have an impact on demand for coal.