Bunbury Against Coal Exports is working alongside the Conservation Council of Western Australia to prevent the mining company from continuing plans to export 16 million tonnes of coal per year to Asia by 2018.

Murray has defended the plan, telling local newspaper the Collie Mail:"If these people want to shut that down there will be many local businesses that suffer”

"If Griffin can't do this, they're in big bother, there's nowhere for them to sell coal”, he said.

Griffin officials have said that beginning large-scale exports to Asia was essential if the embattled company was to improve its current financial performance.

Members of the Bunbury community launched the campaign at Koombana Beach.

“I'm disappointed the Conservation Council is doing this without any research into how the coal will be delivered and put into the ships," Murray told the Collie Mail.

Griffin spokesman assured residents that the coal will be transported in containers to minimise dust or pollution of any sort.

Murray and other supports of the plan visited Newcastle to inspect coal operations.

“We saw first-hand a port that puts out millions of tonnes a year that co-existed with suburbia right on its doorstep," he said.

But Bunbury Against Coal Exports spokesman Laurie Capill said Newcastle was the “black lung of Australia” and insisted that the coastal town on Bunbury should not go the same way.

More than 100 people were expected to protest at Koombana Beach for the campaign where Greens senator Scott Ludlam, technical experts and citizens spoke.

Griffin Coal spokesman James Riordan said the company was at the end of the 30-month approval process and was optimistic about working with the supervisory body and the community.

He planned to guarantee strict adherence to conditions set by the government and the Environmental Protection Authority.