Mining towns now accept the need for energy transition, new report says

It argues for a national plan for net zero with detailed targets and policy settings, and the formation of national and regional transition authorities to help strengthen and diversify regional economies.

Cahill describes a significant shift in public sentiment in places like regional Queensland and the New South Wales Hunter valley, as well as a renewed willingness from industry, energy companies and environmental groups to engage after the bruising experiences of the last federal election campaign.

While sentiment about the inevitability of transition has shifted, workers remain concerned that new industries will develop in a way that affects their working conditions.

Participants at workshops cited the LNG boom during the last decade, where the rapid expansion of the industry created jobs but also created cost of living concerns, and, ultimately, left many locals in the lurch when construction ramped down and property prices collapsed.