Between coal and a hard-place: Labor’s Queensland conundrum

Labor needs to reassure coal workers its policies won’t take away their jobs while creating future industries for regional communities, Queensland Senator Anthony Chisholm has warned.

Labor needs to back new job-creating industries for regional Queensland but not at the expense of existing coal work, a party strategist and Senator warned saying “people won’t cop it”.

Senator Anthony Chisholm said the party needed to acknowledge that regional Queenslanders were in many cases worse off than they were when Labor steamed into government in 2007 with a big climate change agenda, shifting people’s focus to short-term security and making a 2050 vision a harder sell.

Senator Anthony Chisholm says Labor needs to focus on new job-creating industries, but not at the expense of coal. Picture: Kevin Farmer

He called for policy settings which reassured workers that Labor would protect their job, but also ensure their children and grandchildren had a future to live and work in regional Queensland.

The comments came from his contribution to the recently released book, The Write Stuff: Voice of Unity on Labor’s Future.

There have been concerns within Labor’s right faction that the party has been too focused on climate policies at the expense of blue-collar workers, with Joel Fitzgibbon resigning from the frontbench over the issue.

Senator Chisholm said royalties and wealth created by mining in regional Queensland needed to be used to set up a long-term future for the next generation.

“That means thinking about new industries in the long run. But it does not mean thinking about them at the expense of or exclusion of coal in the shorter term,” he said.

“Hydrogen, rare earth minerals, defence industry, hydro and renewable energy, agriculture and manufacturing all present significant new opportunities, but this will not and cannot come at the short-term expense of our current strengths. People won’t cop it, and nor should they.”

But he said it was important Labor did not give up on its calls for environmental action either.

Senator Anthony Chisholm says Labor needs to focus on new job-creating industries, but not at the expense of coal. Picture: AAP image/John Gass

“We need to continue to advocate that urgent action is required, but we need a policy setting that reassures regional Queensland they have nothing to fear from an incoming Labor Government,” Senator Chisholm said.

“We will protect your job and livelihood, but we also want to ensure your grandchildren have the same opportunity to live and work in regional Queensland which is why we need to take action to create a better future for them.”

The Senator said automation of work and labour hire were a bigger threat to well-paid resources jobs than any Labor policy.