Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I rise to speak about something that matters deeply to me and my community: job security, fairness and what can be achieved when workers, unions and communities stand together. This week an agreement was reached to continue operations at Myuna Colliery under a new 3-year framework while Eraring Power Station remains online. This agreement saves around 300 direct jobs at a mine, 300 local jobs, and it protects over a thousand more across the broader Lake Macquarie and Hunter community. Contractors, transport operators, small businesses, suppliers, apprentices, cafes, mechanics and family owned operations all rely on Myuna and Eraring continuing to operate. These are not just statistics on a page. They are mortgage payments. They are school fees. They are apprenticeships. They are kids footy registrations. For months those families were living with uncertainty.

Myuna was built for one purpose and for one purpose only—to supply Eraring Power Station with coal. It has no alternative market, no rail link, no export pathway. It exists just to power that power station. When questions were raised about the commercial arrangement between Centennial Coal and Origin Energy, the future of the mine and those 300 jobs were suddenly in doubt. That uncertainty rippled through the community. Let's be clear. This was not about geology. This was not about demand disappearing. Eraring is continuing to operate. This was about whether the commercial arrangement would match that reality.

What we have now seen is Centennial Coal and Origin Energy move, negotiate in good faith and land on a practical outcome that delivers certainty, and that is a great thing. It is great to see both companies come back to the table and work through the issues to secure a sensible 3-year framework. Origin Energy stepping up and securing this arrangement demonstrates what responsible corporate citizenships look like. Large energy companies operate in regions just like mine because of their hard-working locals. The least that those communities deserve is fairness, certainty and good faith negotiations when jobs are on the line. This agreement recognises that reality.

This outcome did not just happen. It happened because workers stood together. It happened because families spoke out. It happened because the community make it clear that avoidable job losses were not acceptable. I want to place on the record my thanks to the Mining and Energy Union for the work they did throughout this process. In particular I want to acknowledge Grahame Kelly, Jeremy McWilliams and Joey Price. Their leadership, steady approach and focus on constructive solutions made a real difference.

I also want to thank the site delegates, the workers at Myuna and their families, who held firm during months of uncertainty. They conducted themselves with strength and dignity. They did not ask for special treatment. They asked for fairness. They asked for certainty while the power station they supply continued to operate, and that's exactly what this agreement delivers. It's a win for workers, it's a win for families and it's a win for the Hunter community because when you save 300 jobs at a mine you're also protecting thousands more across the supply chain. You're protecting the local engineering workshops. You're protecting the truckies. You're protecting the apprentices learning a trade. You're protecting small businesses who depend on steady workflow through our region. You're protecting the economic heart belt of communities right across Lake Macquarie and the Hunter like Wangi Wangi, Morisset and Cooranbong.

The Hunter has powered New South Wales for generations. Our miners, power station workers and contractors have turned up in the middle of the night, in the heat, in the rain, in tough conditions to make sure that homes, hospitals and businesses right across the state have reliable power. That contribution should never be taken for granted. We understand that change is happening in our energy system. We understand that transition is underway, but that transition must be fair, responsible and respect workers and communities who have kept the lights on for decades.

What this agreement shows is that when workers, when unions, when businesses and when the community stand together, practical solutions can be found. This was not about shouting from the sidelines; this was about standing up, backing our community and insisting on a sensible outcome. Today, 300 workers and their families can now breathe easier. Thousands more across Lake Macquarie and the Hunter can plan ahead with confidence. That matters.

I will always stand up for the workers and the communities who power our nation. Thank you for everything you do. Thank you for the hard work you put in. And, most of all, thank you to your families who put up with you being away and out of action and out of the town for many days on end and away for long hours as well. (Time expired)