We must support coalminers, Meryl Swanson tells ALP

Paterson MP Meryl Swanson has urged Labor MPs, union leaders and the party’s environmental activists not to scare coal workers by preaching to them about the need to transition out of their mining jobs.

Labor MP Meryl Swanson.

Paterson MP Meryl Swanson has urged Labor MPs, union leaders and the party’s environmental activists not to “scare the shit” out of coal industry workers by preaching to them about the need to transition out of their mining jobs.

Ms Swanson, the daughter of a coalminer, spoke out at a private caucus briefing on Wednesday from the Hunter Jobs Alliance, which was attended by more than a dozen Labor MPs, including ­Anthony Albanese and energy spokesman Chris Bowen.

The Hunter Jobs Alliance is a partnership between the Labor Environment Action Network, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and the Elec­trical Trades Union and is aimed at transforming coal comm­unities into regions that help ­Australia become a “renewables superpower”.

Ms Swanson, a NSW Right MP who represents a coal seat in the Hunter Valley, urged MPs and members of the alliance to be careful about the way they talked about taking action on climate change, arguing that coal workers should not feel demonised as Australia transitions to a low-emissions future.

She said miners wanted Labor to be “on their side” and the party could both support the coal industry while talking to communities about the need to prepare for the future, according to people in the room.

Ms Swanson warned AMWU national secretary Steve Murphy that the language used by members of the Hunter Jobs Alliance gave the appearance that they were demonising the coal sector, after the union leader denied that was what the group was doing.

Mr Murphy told the meeting he agreed that coalminers should be respected and listened to as the nation prepares for a new economic future.

Ms Swanson said miners knew the outlook of the sector and they did not need Labor to tell them about their prospects.

Opposition assistant climate change spokesman Pat Conroy, a Left faction MP who represents the neighbouring Hunter Valley seat of Shortland, said it was important Labor did not “bullshit” workers about the future of coal.

Sources in the room said Ms Swanson responded to Mr Conroy by saying: “Don’t scare the shit out of them”.

Mr Murphy told The Australian that Ms Swanson made a “positive contribution to the discussion and the work of the Hunter Jobs Alliance” during the meeting on Wednesday.

“It was agreed by the caucus that we can have both climate action and job creation,” Mr Murphy said.

At Labor’s national conference next week, the AMWU will push for an amendment to the draft policy platform that will force “a future Labor government (to) implement policies to maximise and require locally manufactured content on future renewable energy projects”.

“This will help create long-term jobs in the renewable sector while providing new jobs for workers in the energy sector,” the amendment says.

The Australian understands there will also be an amendment pushed at the conference that will outline the party’s support for the coal sector.

Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon and senior figures from the mining division of the CFMEU have been highly critical of the Hunter Jobs Alliance.

The Australian Workers Union is not part of the alliance, despite representing workers in the region.

In a briefing document distributed to Labor MPs, the alliance warned that climate change “culture wars” were impeding the ability to prepare workers for a low-emissions future.

“As long as discussions about the Hunter’s future are a politically charged culture war bunfight, governments and business are less likely to invest,” the document said.