Campbell said the ALP had abandoned Hunter Valley and Newcastle working families in a misguided approach on climate change.
Seven motions were moved in last night’s meeting held by the Labor dominated Newcastle City Council, which included:
- Establishing a cap on coal exports from Newcastle at existing levels;
- Initiating a moratorium on new coal mines; and
- Establishing a levy on the coal industry.
Campbell said anyone who was serious about climate change knew that “clean coal, not no coal” was a key factor in the global battle against climate change.
According to Campbell, the ALP has been pushing for the end of coal mining in the region for some time.
“In May this year federal Labor Member for Charlton Kelly Hoare wrote to me advocating the end of coal mining in the Hunter Valley,” he said.
Hoare said in her letter that “the Hunter is one of the world’s carbon capitals and home to a rapacious mining industry, and that the proposed Anvil Hill [coal mine] is a key part of the Hunter Valley Coal export expansion which needs to be stopped if the world is to avoid climate change.”
Campbell said until the ALP recognised that solving climate change would not be fixed by simply shutting down the economies of power-house regions such as the Hunter Valley, the Gippsland region of Victoria, the Bowen Basin of Queensland and the Collie region of WA, Kim Beazley, Anthony Albanese and Peter Garrett could not be taken seriously on this vital issue.
According to Campbell, the International Energy Agency announced this week that – not withstanding great gains in renewable technologies such as solar – fossil fuels will continue to account for a large proportion of the world's energy needs in 50 years time.
