IPA Touring The Hunter Valley Net Zero Impact Zone

“The Hunter Valley is the canary in the coal-mine for what happens to communities when there is nothing left to replace the resources industry being shut down by net zero,” said Daniel Wild, Director of Research at the Institute of Public Affairs.

Tomorrow, the Institute of Public Affairs will tour the Hunter Valley net zero impact zone to communicate its research on the significant economic and humanitarian consequences this policy will have on mainstream Australians.

“Our research demonstrates that mainstream Australians in communities like the Hunter Valley will incur the greatest costs of a net zero emissions by 2050 target supported by both Liberals, the Nationals and Labor,” said Mr Wild.

A landmark report released in April by the Institute of Public Affairs, The economic and employment consequences of net zero emission by 2050 in Australia, identified:

• At a minimum, all coal, gas and oil projects in the construction pipeline must be cancelled to achieve net zero by 2050.
• Net zero will cost the Hunter Valley region around $12 billion in lost economic output, the equivalent to 20% of gross regional product.

• Net zero will top the creation of 21,800 jobs throughout the Hunter Valley which is the equivalent to four years’ worth of job creation.
• Net zero will cost the Australian economy at least $274 billion in forgone direct and indirect economic output, which is the equivalent to 13.5% of Australia’s annual GDP.
• Net zero will prevent the creation of over 478,000 jobs across Australia.

“Mainstream Australians are waking up to the damage inner-city elites and the political class want to inflict on their livelihoods and their way of life through net zero,” Mr Wild said.

The IPA’s research tour of the Hunter Valley comes after its highly successful tour of North Queensland, where the IPA communicated its research to local communities in Cairns, Townsville, Aye, Bowen, Proserpine, Rockhampton, MacKay, and Gladstone.

“The feedback from the North Queensland community was that their voices and views are being ignored by the inner-city elite.”

“IPA research has identified that a typical worker in regional Australia is over three times more likely to have their job put at risk by a policy of net zero emissions than a typical worker in the inner cities. “

“Regional Australia is sick and tired of being belittled for their hard work and way of life, while at the same time being relied upon by the cossetted inner-city elite to provide nation’s ability for the schools, hospitals and infrastructure they benefit most from,” said Mr Wild.