A way forward for Australia's coal communities

Four foreign-owned multinationals dominate Australia’s coal industry: BHP Billiton, Xstrata, Rio Tinto and Anglo-American. They produce 72 per cent of Australia’s coal. So most of the coalmining profits disappear overseas. In 10 years, coal industry employment has fallen, while exports have boomed and coal prices skyrocketed. Jobs in Hunter mines have fallen from 10,000 in 1990 to about 6800 in 2003, according to New South Wales government figures, while production has doubled. Only a fraction of income from Huntermined coal is reinvested regionally in infrastructure. The region suffers unemployment far above the New South Wales average. Its poor health, education and transport services are constantly under threat of cuts.