I had these conversations over supper while workers in Hi-Vis gear and union shirts mixed it with white-collar types and activists. The supper menu reflected this diversity: party pies; meat balls and savs competed for attention with vegan wraps, sushi and mini quiches.
Workers and environmentalists had come together to discuss an environmentally-friendly, jobs-rich economic transformation under the auspices of the Hunter Jobs Alliance.
This dialogue is being generated by the changes in technology and energy production.
Carly White, a young fitter, noted this when she spoke about the need for a shift in how mining, manufacturing and power generation are done. The region’s four local coal-fired power stations, for example, are scheduled to close by 2035.