Friday, December 6
A political hearing in Muswellbrook next week will hear from Hunter Valley locals on their opposition to building nuclear reactors in the region.
The federal Parliament’s select committee on nuclear energy is looking into a scheme from the Coalition to build nuclear reactors at sites around the country, including in the Hunter.
Local doctors, former coal workers, workers’ advocates and others advocating for the Hunter’s renewable power future are speaking out against the scheme. They say the community wants investment in safe and reliable renewable power, not risky nuclear reactors in the region.
They are concerned about the risks of having a nuclear reactor in the Hunter Valley, including:
- Risks to the Hunter’s economy if the energy transition is delayed and there is no plan for new jobs and opportunities in the near term
- Water supply and usage in the Hunter Valley
- Health, wellbeing and safety of people living in the region
- Energy security as coal-fired power stations retire
- The impact on kids’ futures if there are further delays to cutting climate pollution
Ahead of the hearing on Tuesday, December 10, the below spokespeople are available for media comment.
To arrange interviews, please contact:
Sean Kennedy on 0447 121 378 or sean.kennedy@climatemediacentre.org.au or Emily Watkins on 0420 622 408 or emily.watkins@climatemediacentre.org.au
Dr Ben Ewald, epidemiologist, medical researcher and GP, is a member of Doctors for the Environment Australia and is an expert in air pollution. He has recently conducted analysis of the air quality in Muswellbrook since the Liddell Power Station shut down last year, which shows it has already improved.
Location: Newcastle
Dr John Van Der Kallen, rheumatologist and Doctors for the Environment member and immediate past chair. Dr Van Der Kallen can talk about the health risks of delaying the transition to renewable power.
Location: Newcastle
Bob Hawes, CEO of Business Hunter, the largest regional peak business group in Australia, can talk about how the Hunter can benefit from continued investment and development of renewables in the region.
Location: Newcastle, NSW
Trevor Woolley, former senior engineer at Bayswater power station (retired) who has lived off grid at Denman in a passive solar house for more than 30 years and drives an electric car.
Location: Denman
Steve Phillips, coordinator of the Hunter Renewal project, has campaigned on mining issues in the Hunter for two decades. Hunter Renewal is a network of residents and organisations established in 2017 to advocate for the effective region-wide coordination of the Hunter Valley’s transition to a post-coal economy.
Location: Newcastle
Justin Page, Hunter Jobs Alliance coordinator, can talk about the need to continue the energy transformation already underway in the Hunter, where industries are already on the right path to transitioning to renewable energy.
Location: Newcastle
