I rise this evening to lend my full support to the Coal Mining Industry (Long Service Leave) Legislation Amendment Bill 2025. This bill is about fairness, security and respect for the working people who have powered our nation for generations, the coalmining workforce. It is particularly significant for communities like mine in Newcastle, and indeed for the Hunter region, where coalmining has shaped not only our economy but also our identity for more than 200 years now. Indeed, it might be worth reminding the House that the very first export commodity to leave this country left Newcastle in 1799. It was coal on its way to India and that's been a really central part of our economy ever since.
At the outset, on this bill, let me be very, very clear, long service leave is not a perk. It is a recognition of loyalty, endurance and years of hard—and often physically demanding—work. In the coalmining industry, where workers frequently move between employers while remaining in the same industry doing the same jobs, that portable long service leave is an essential part of their wellbeing. Without it, workers lose entitlements simply because the structure of their industry requires mobility, and this legislation makes sure that that does not happen. The coalmining industry long service leave scheme has existed for decades, underpinned by the simple principle that coalminers should not be penalised for the way that their industry operates. This bill strengthens that very principle and modernises the scheme to ensure it remains sustainable, fair and fit for purpose now and into the future.
At its core, this bill delivers certainty. It provides greater financial stability for the long service leave fund. It improves its governance and ensures entitlements earned by workers are properly protected. It also updates administrative arrangements so the scheme can continue to function efficiently and transparently with confidence for workers and employers alike. For coalminers, that means peace of mind. It means knowing that years of service will be honoured. It means knowing that, when the time comes to take long service leave to rest, recover, spend time with your family or care for the your own health or those around you, that entitlement will be there. And for the mining communities like those across the Hunter region, it means economic stability. When workers take long service leave, that money flows directly back into local economies, into the shops, small businesses, services and communities.
This bill matters deeply for my electorate of Newcastle. We have a proud mining history. For generations, coalminers have powered the homes, built infrastructure and driven economic growth not just locally but nationally. Our region is indeed the largest regional economy in this country and that is in no small part to the efforts of the working men and women in the coal industry. While our region is diversifying ,as it needs to, and we're leading in many ways that transition to new energy industries, mining remains an important employer going forward with the abundance of critical minerals and high-tech metals that are still to come. There is a future for all of those highly skilled mining men and women in this nation.
Today there are thousands of families across the Hunter that still rely on the coal industry for their daily bread and butter, and they deserve the same protections and respect as every other worker in this country, and that's the ambition of a Labor government. This legislation recognises that reality. It does not pit workers up against the future. It does not deny the importance of economic transition. Instead, it says something very simple and very Labor—that workers who built this country should never be left behind. Labor has always understood that strong industries depend on strong workers, and strong workers depend on good strong-but-fair work conditions.
Our movement was founded by working people organising for dignity, safety and security. From annual leave to superannuation, from Medicare to paid parental leave, Labor has been the party that turns decent ideas into lasting protections. Portable long service schemes, including in coalmining, are part of that proud legacy. They exist because Labor understands that fairness must adapt to the realities of different industries, that one-size-fits-all models do not work in sectors like mining, where labour mobility is a huge feature, not a flaw. This bill continues that tradition. It's a practical reform that strengthens an existing scheme, responds to changing conditions and ensures that the long service leave scheme works as intended: first and foremost for workers.
Labor's proud record stands in stark contrast to those opposite. Time and time again, when working people have needed their help, their protection, the opposition have been missing in action or, worse, actively undermining workers' rights. We have seen it in the attacks on penalty rates, which stripped incomes from some of the lowest-paid workers in this country. We saw it in the attempts to weaken collective bargaining and the undermining of unions—the very organisations that have fought to secure long service leave, safe workplaces and fair pay. And we saw it in nearly a decade of inaction on job security, during which insecure work skyrocketed and workers were left without basic protections.
When it comes to coalmining communities, the opposition's record is particularly hollow. They are quick to turn up for the photo-op in hi-vis. We see it at every election cycle in our part of the world. They're quick to use miners as political props. But when it comes to delivering real protections, like secure entitlements and properly funded schemes, they have constantly failed to deliver. Labor, on the other hand, backs workers with legislation, not slogans. This bill is a perfect example of that difference. It is careful, responsible reform that has been developed with an understanding of the industry and with respect for the people who work in it. It balances the interests of workers and employers while keeping the long service leave scheme sustainable for the long term. It also sends a clear message to mining families across Newcastle and the Hunter: Labor sees you, Labor respects your contribution and Labor has your back.
As Australia transitions to a cleaner energy future it is essential that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. Workers must not be treated as disposable. Communities must not be abandoned. Entitlements must not be eroded. Supporting coalminers' long service leave is part of ensuring that the transition is fair and orderly, not chaotic or cruel. It says that, while industries evolve, our commitment to working people does not waver. For Newcastle and the Hunter, this legislation provides reassurance. It provides local workers who have given decades to an industry that has underpinned our region's prosperity and powered our nation. It ensures that their entitlements are secure and it reinforces the principle that fairness at work is not negotiable.
This bill also reflects Labor's broader approach to industrial relations, one based on balance, cooperation and respect. Rather than tearing down institutions, we strengthen them. Rather than driving a race to the bottom, we want to see those standards lift. And rather than leaving workers to fend for themselves, we want to legislate to protect them. That's exactly what the Coal Mining Industry (Long Service Leave) Legislation Amendment Bill does. It strengthens an important scheme. It protects hard-earned entitlements. And it delivers certainty to workers, employers and communities alike.
I want to take a brief moment to acknowledge the coalminers across Newcastle and the Hunter who have shared their experiences and concerns with me over many years, specifically with regard to the vital importance of coalmining industry long service leave. You have made it very clear how important this long service leave is to your wellbeing and to your families and to our communities at large, and this parliament has the responsibility to listen to those voices. So I'd urge all members in this House to look beyond the temptation to bunker-in to those political camps and trenches, to those convenient slogans, and to batting away on what forms of energy you want to back or don't back, and to think about bringing your focus to what this legislation delivers. I repeat: it delivers fairness; it delivers security; and it delivers, most importantly, respect for working people in Australia.
Labor's got a proud history of backing workers. We're proud to stand with the coalminers in Newcastle, in the Hunter—indeed, across Australia—and we're proud to support legislation that honours their contribution and protects their future. And, for those reasons, I commend this bill to the House.
