AT the Bunbury Council meeting on April 15, deputy mayor Brendan Kelly put forward a motion to councillors not to support the export of coal through Bunbury.
Two councillors spoke in favour of the motion, one against.
The motion was defeated 9 to 2.
Griffin Coal, now owned by Indian mining giant Lanco, plans to export 15 million tons of coal per year from Bunbury Port.
Mayor Gary Brennan, after stating his support for a 'clean green' Bunbury brand as one of the city's most valuable assets, and then also acknowledging the limited future of coal as our main source of power generation in the South West, then proceeded to speak against the motion.
He argued that whatever happens with the proposed export of coal through Bunbury, it is entirely in the hands of State and Federal governments in association with the Bunbury Port Authority, and therefore Bunbury Council has little if any say in the outcome.
This seems like a cop out - a convenient excuse for councillors not to stand up as a leadership group with an eye to the future, and to openly and aggressively support the necessary push towards renewable and sustainable power generation in the South West.
Has the Mayor caved in to the publicly aired pressure exerted last week by Collie Mayor Wayne Sanford not to create any barriers to the export of coal through Bunbury?
Both mayors are yet to understand that Collie will be the big winner when the move towards renewables is made.
Collie's greatest asset is not its coal, but its turbines - some estimate the economic viability of its coal is no more than 25 years.
Lanco holds the view that no expansion means massive job losses - is this just speculation, and are we being asked to just take their word for this?
If the Lanco export goes ahead, the coal will run out much faster resulting in huge job losses anyway.
Collie's power generation and transmission infrastructure is unquestionably its' greatest asset (valued at around $15 billion).
This is a massive asset that dwarves the value of Collie's known coal reserves (estimated at about $800 million), which is only getting more expensive to extract as diesel and labour costs rise, and the mines have to go deeper.
With a move to renewables, Collie's future as a dynamic renewable energy hub is assured, with thousands more jobs in the mix - refer to Scott Ludlam's Energy 2029 document - a costed, technical plan for how WA's main electricity grid could switch to 100% renewable energy generation.
It has identified two possible renewable energy scenarios for Collie - one dominated by biomass and the other a mix involving solar PV and wind.
Mayor Brennan says the discussion about a shift to renewables for the South West should be initiated by the people of Collie.
In the meantime, are Bunbury residents happy to sit back and be potentially exposed to the proven negative impacts (refer Newcastle NSW) of allowing coal export through the Bunbury port?
A smoker, trying to give up the fags, knows that life will be happier and healthier as a result - but the addiction often prevents or inhibits that leap of faith towards a brighter future.
Are we in Bunbury to become some sort of necessary passive smokers collateral damage, that just has to be tolerated to prevent the withdrawal pains of a town (Collie) addicted to coal?
