Because special interest groups know politicians react reflexively to any perceivable shift in public opinion, they promptly dig up research that furthers their agenda in this pre-election rush.  

Right on cue, the Climate Council has released findings from a survey that suggest Australians are sick of coal and want the government to spend wads of taxpayers' funds on renewables projects.

According to the survey - of 2000 voters in regional, rural and metropolitan Queensland and New South Wales - only a quarter of voters in Queensland and about one fifth in New South Wales believe their state's future prosperity lies in coal and gas.

Six out of 10 in the survey say the government's top investment priority should be in renewables. In Queensland, only 20% nominated coal and 15% said gas. In NSW, the figures were 15% for coal and 17% for gas.

Climate Councillor Nicki Hutley said the polling revealed people in NSW and Queensland understood "the era of coal and gas in this country is coming to a close as the world rapidly decarbonises".

"They strongly support government investment in new, clean industries that will future-proof jobs and secure our economic prosperity," she said.

"There is a huge opportunity for the historical coal and gas heartlands of New South Wales and Queensland to grasp the economic rewards of the global zero emission transformation, and the people see this."

Hogsback is instantly skeptical of any group who claim to speak on behalf of "the people".

He is doubly skeptical when the group in question is basing its claim on a sample size of just 2000 people.

According to ABS data, more than 50,000 people are directly employed by the coal industry in Australia. That figure grows significantly when outside contractors and suppliers are included.

The long-term future of the global energy needs and Australia's ability to continue to develop as a global exporter of coal and energy is a complex matter.

The federal government has a choice in the forthcoming elections. It can choose to heed skimpy research by groups such as the Climate Council or consider the hard facts of coal mining employment in regional NSW and Queensland and the legitimate aspirations of coal mining workers who wish to plan for their futures.

These workers would reasonably be expected to vote in the next election for candidates that will articulate their aspirations mostly forcefully in the next parliament.