Mixed reaction from NSW blue-collar town of Muswellbrook

Upper Hunter residents have told Canberra and Sydneysiders to let the area path its own energy future, saying nuclear would bring back jobs to the community.

Labor Hunter MP Dan Repacholi. Picture: Chris Pavlich

While politicians throw barbs over energy, blue-collar Muswellbrook – less than 15km from where the opposition has earmarked a nuclear power station for NSW’s Hunter region – has told inner-city Labor and the Greens to let the town shape its own future.

Jobs in Muswellbrook have been intrinsically linked with, and supplied by, the area’s mining and energy plants.

Liddell coal power station was closed in mid-2023 and is in the midst of being decommissioned to be used as part of a future Hunter Energy Hub. Its closure led to job losses or transfers to nearby Bayswater power station, itself scheduled for closure in under a decade.

It has left locals concerned about the town’s future and it is why, with some reservations, they have welcomed Peter Dutton’s nuclear pledge for the shuttered power station.

Muswellbrook residents Vicky Page and Maree Quigley, while camping in the shadow of the shuttered station, said they backed the plan, which would return jobs to the area. “It (the station) is a lot better than all these windmills or acres of solar panels,” Ms Quigley said. “Those are an eyesore, a blight on the landscape.”

Ms Page said it was vital to keep towns like Muswellbrook “alive” as its industries start to dwindle.

“I don’t disagree with solar or wind power, but if nuclear can keep the town surviving, they should go for it,” she said.

Real estate licensee Jay Shepherdson said it “annoyed the bugger” out of him when citysiders thought they knew best for towns such as Muswellbrook.

“The majority here are blue-collar workers, every single business feeds off the coalmines, power stations, railways – nuclear would just be another bonus,” he said.

“When I saw the news I thought, ‘you beauty’, at last the site is going to be used.”

Mr Shepherdson pointed to how the transmission lines already came to the area, saving the government from spending more on infrastructure.

Others held concerns. Ken Brown said he was worried about safety and whether the government would engage with the community. Penny Findlow said she was aligned with the Liberal Party but found the plan “ridiculous”.

Labor Hunter MP Dan Repacholi labelled the plan “half-baked”, saying Mr Dutton had hidden in Sydney to make the ­announcement rather than meet with the community.

“What we heard from him today generates more questions than answers,” he said. “We’ve got big plans for the Liddell site, two months ago we were there announcing the billion-dollar Solar SunShot program that will generate thousands of jobs. His plan will rip those jobs away.”