Greens build new alliances

Kicking the coal habit: Greens build new alliances with farmers and miners

Greens leader Bob Brown yesterday joined with a Hunter Valley coal miner and a fifth generation farmer battling a proposed BHP Billiton coal mine to call for the phasing out of the coal industry at a public forum in Marrickville, 'The Inconvenient Truth About Coal'.

Greens MP Lee Rhiannon, who spoke at the forum said, "Building these exciting new alliances are invaluable to the job of tackling multi-billion dollar mining giants."

Federal Senator Bob Brown said, "Here is the inconvenient truth for politicians: Australia cannot address climate change without reducing its coal exports and emissions. Australia must kick the coal habit.

"Both the Howard Coalition and Rudd Labor support burning more, not less, coal. This is an extreme position considering the massive economic and environmental crisis the world is facing.

"The nation should rapidly transform to being the world's largest exporter of solar power technology, other renewable energy options and energy efficiency technology – creating thousands of jobs and a multi-billion dollar export income in tandem with the replacement of coal," Senator Brown said.

Graham Brown, a miner from the Hunter Valley said, "I am a Greens member and also a member of the coal mining union and proud of both those positions.

"I earn my living digging coal but I see the future for this industry as black and bleak. Greens policies provide a transition to a modern renewable energy rich world for me, my workmates and our grandchildren," Mr Brown said.

Tim Duddy, a fifth generation farmer from the Liverpool Plains said, "The climate is changing and it is not just in the atmosphere. People are becoming more political aware of the things they need to do to save our planet.

"If we keep on sacrificing these vast tracks of high quality agricultural land how will we be able to feed future generations?", Mr Duddy said.

Greens candidate for Marrickville, Councillor Fiona Byrne, said, "The major parties dress themselves up as climate change champions but their Achilles' heel is coal.

"The Greens are working to expose this contradiction in the lead up to the March 24 election. The forum was one small step in raising awareness of the need to move rapidly away from coal and towards renewable energy."