The Nature Conservation Council urges all candidates in the Upper Hunter by-election to put climate change, air quality, the protection of wildlife habitat, and river health at the top of their agendas.
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"Climate change is the number-one economic and environmental challenge facing communities of the Upper Hunter and Liverpool Plains, so all candidates need to make clear what they will do for the region on climate," Nature Conservation Council Chief Executive Chris Gambian said.
"Any candidate who does not have climate change at the top of their platform is not really representing the true interests of the community.
"All candidates need a plan for meaningful action to cut emissions, and ensure that Hunter communities have a realistic pathway to new economic opportunities in a low carbon economy.
"Change is coming to the Upper Hunter, one way or another. These changes could be very positive, or they could be very negative - it all depends on how our politicians and governments handle it.
"So far, the major parties are putting the Upper Hunter on the road to ruin by refusing to deal frankly with climate change and the decline of the coal industry.
"The coal and electricity generation industries in the Upper Hunter contribute more than any other electorate to climate change in NSW, so it must play a leading role in slashing our state's emissions.
"It is not fair to expect people in this region to carry the burden of that alone, which is why we are calling on the NSW Government to establish a Community and Industry Transition Fund and Transition Authority."
Mr Gambian said candidates must also advocate strongly to improve very poor air quality in some parts of the electorate, and support measures to reverse the decline in native bushland and species under threat from logging and land clearing for mines, farming and urban development.
The Nature Conservation Council calls on all candidates to support the following measures:
Support communities
- Use coal royalties to create a multi-billion-dollar Community and Industry Support Fund.
- Establish a Community and Industry Support Authority to collaborate with workers, communities, and industry on Community and Industry Support Plans tailored to different coal communities.
End the expansion of coal and gas
- Stop releasing farmland and wildlife habitat for coal and gas developments.
- Rescind the recent release of land around Rylstone and Wollar for coal exploration.
- Stop issuing coal and gas exploration and mining licences in the Upper Hunter, Liverpool Plains and Central West.
- Ban new coal mines and gas fields.
Improve local air quality
- Set air quality standards in line with world's best practice and improve air quality monitoring.
- Implement an air-pollution reduction strategy across NSW to improve air quality by slashing emissions.
- Reduce emissions from coal-fired power stations by installing readily available technology, updating pollution licences and improving monitoring.
Protect, restore and reconnect wildlife habitat
- End native-forest logging, a key driver of the decline of koalas and other forest wildlife.
- Stop land-clearing for mining, agriculture and urban development.
- Create a network of revegetated wildlife corridors through the Hunter and Liverpool Plains.
- End the use of biodiversity offsets, except in exceptional circumstances.
- Ban the burning of native forests for electricity and reject the proposed recommissioning of Redbank Power Station to burn forest biomass.
Restore rivers and wetlands
- Mandate environmental flows to keep our rivers healthy.
- Tighten the water-use monitoring regime to end water theft and give certainty to all water users.
- Enforce the law regarding floodplain harvesting, and ensure all floodplain harvesting regulations guarantee sustainable water flow for river health and downstream communities.
- No new dams.
