The Hunter Jobs Alliance says the NSW government's election promise of a regional transition authority has "amounted to nothing" as workers connected to Eraring Power Station face an uncertain future.
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The NSW government announced on Thursday that it would pay Origin Energy up to $450 million to keep Eraring open for two years beyond its planned August 2025 closure.
The Mining and Energy Union welcomed the planned agreement but said hundreds of miners at Myuna and Mandalong collieries were still in the dark about whether their boss, Centennial Coal, would reach a belated deal with Origin to continue supplying coal to the plant.
Myuna supplies only to Eraring, the national's largest coal-fired plant, while Mandalong sells to the power station and other customers.
Origin Energy chief executive Frank Calabria said on Thursday that it continued to talk with Centennial and other suppliers before the company's agreement with Centennial expires next month.
The MEU has called on the Minns government to intervene and secure the miners' ongoing employment.
Hunter Jobs Alliance coordinator Justin Page slammed the state and federal governments for dragging their feet on establishing transition authorities to support displaced workers.
"The transition is happening," Mr Page said.
"The 2025 closure for Eraring has been earmarked for some time, and local workers have been waiting in earnest for guaranteed job protections during the transition, yet the Net Zero Economic Authority legislation has not passed Parliament and the NSW transition authority still don't have any formal framework for hundreds of workers both at Eraring Power Station and at the mines which supply coal to the power station."
The Newcastle Herald reported in March that the NSW government had yet to set guidelines or funding mechanisms for the promised Hunter authority or advertise for leadership positions.
Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said before the 2023 election that a state transition authority would help in "reskilling and redeploying the existing workforce" as mining communities shifted away from coal.
The federal government has tabled legislation to establish its Net Zero Economic Authority, but Mr Page said the bill did not guarantee support for all workers at Myuna and Mandalong.
"There is now uncertainty for workers at the Myuna and Mandalong collieries," he said.
"Under the proposed Net Zero Economic Authority legislation, workers at Myuna would be covered by job protection but workers at Mandalong will not be.
"The NSW government has no policy or framework to assist those workers."
Mr Page described the Eraring deal as "another band-aid approach from the NSW government that does not properly address the transition the Hunter is in".
"It does not address long-term job protections," he said.
"The NSW government election commitment of a Hunter transition authority has amounted to nothing.
"NSW is lagging both in the energy transition and the employment framework required to ensure no one is left behind, and extending Eraring is only kicking the problem down the road.
"Our governments can't keep sitting on their hands and being reactive in their decision-making."
The jobs alliance represents union and environmental groups to advocate for an orderly economic transition to a low-carbon future.
Michael Parris
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
