With the coal industry bearing the brunt of the emissions reduction target and the loss of jobs that regions rich in coal like the Illawarra will incur, I wonder if MPs will choose to protect their own jobs, or the jobs of their constituents, when push comes to shove.

Where once coalminers were held in such high regard in Wollongong, today they are the forgotten people. Coal has become a dirty word despite the enormous wealth it has bought the country.

Now, much of our steel is being imported and the once great Australian coal mining industry is in danger of going the way of the merino.

Where once the mighty steelworks at Port Kembla directly employed almost 25,000 people, today it is much less than 10 per cent of that figure.

Jobs have gone and Wollongong has become impoverished. The Wollongong unemployment rate is among the highest in NSW.

The latest unemployment figures for some areas are in double digits, with Shellharbour recording a 24 per cent jump in unemployment.

Unemployment affects families and communities as a whole. In order to pay the extra tax on food, petrol, milk, electricity and more, people will need their jobs.

The Coalition is putting forward amendments that seek to cushion the initial blow.

The cap-and-trade approach for electricity generators means prices go up gradually. More compensation for big, essential emitters means less cost passed on to us as consumers who can't pass on the costs any further down the line.

Lastly, we are looking out for farmers and small business neglected in the Government's proposed scheme.

There are now approximately 73 dairy farms in Gilmore - there were around 168, but deregulation hit the area hard a few years ago.

With the drought and all sorts of indirect taxes already being added to these hard-working people, the last thing they need is the threat of a direct burping cow tax.