Despite a promise to subsidise Illawarra coal miners' wages as they move out of the sector, the Greens policy statement does not include a body dedicated to help achieve this.
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In fact the Illawarra is only mentioned once in the 60-page Powering Past Coal and Gas policy - in a mention of the deepwater port at Port Kembla that could help the country transform into a "hydrogen superpower".
Last week Cunningham and Whitlam Greens candidates Dylan Green and Jamie Dixon launched the $19 billion plan in the Illawarra.
An employer outside the industry hiring a coal miner could apply for a 50 per cent subsidy of the worker's wage.
That worker must be receiving a wage equal to the amount of their previous coal job.
The policy statement includes reference to "local Authorities" that would help regions "develop local tailored plans to secure their economic transition".
Five such authorities would be set up, according to the statement - in the Hunter, LaTrobe Valley, Gladstone and Bowen Basin in Queensland and Collie and South West Western Australia.
Mr Dixon said he was aware of the the Illawarra's omission and had contacted the policy makers about it. He is yet to receive a definitive answer.
"The basic premise that they were working off is that, because there is already a state ministry for the Illawarra, the mechanics of that would be used to help the Illawarra transition," Mr Dixon said.
"I think with the other areas, there isn't that specific governmental focus or bureaucracies associated with it.
"So they would need further support whereas in the Illawarra there are mechanisms in place and we would look to those to orchestrate the transition."
Still, Mr Dixon was unhappy there was a lack of clarity in the policy statement when it came to coal miners in the Illawarra.
"Certainly as a candidate standing for an Illawarra seat I would definitely prefer that the Illawarra was specifically mentioned and that there were definite pathways in place for our coal workers to be assured that they will be supported in the transitional economy," he said.
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Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
