What Coal Miners Think About Climate Change

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: I just got the shits about all this Black Lives Matter stuff, with all the crap that goes on in Australia about aboriginals dying in custody and so here's me old van. Actually, I think Black Coal Matters is way more important than criminals dying in jails, myself. [00:00:30] Speaker 2: Well, to get political, I hope that they run the grannies off a cliff. We're kept apart by riot police. [00:00:37] Speaker 3: Get all them grannies and bundle them all together and shove them down or plug the volcano with them. [00:00:43] Speaker 4: And we actually got a piece of Black Coal donated by one of the mines here. [00:00:51] Speaker 5: Ask them what do they think of Australia and the world and they'll say it's fucked. [00:01:00] Speaker ?: Woo! [00:01:02] Speaker 6: Whoa. [00:01:05] Speaker 7: What just happened? [00:01:06] Speaker 6: We just hit the dirt road and there was a big hole going from the bitumen to the dirt. But luckily we're still driving. We'd be pretty fucked if we, you know, run out of fuel. But fingers crossed, nothing bad happens and we make it to where we're going. It's been over 24 hours of driving to get up here. Somewhere over there they're setting up to build one of the biggest coal mines in the world, if it goes ahead. The Adani Carmichael coal mine. Where we're going to is the heartland of the coal industry. This is a really, for Australia, controversial issue. The coal industry and its role in climate change is incredibly controversial. It's in the news nearly every day and people have really strong opinions about it. Yeah, I think it would just look like we're supposed to be here if we put them on. So I've just put on the high-vis because mine security generally stop people from flying drones around the mines and obviously that's what we're trying to do. Yeah, so we want to look like we're supposed to be here so we don't get stopped. Take off. [00:02:33] Speaker 8: The coal has been updated. Please check it out the map. [00:02:36] Speaker 6: Australia has been the biggest coal exporter in the world for a long time. Now I think it's second to Indonesia. The Australian government is incredibly heavily influenced by the coal industry. So it's this very strange situation where we've got these tiny little towns with very few people, not that many jobs attached, but they have a huge amount of symbolic political power because they're used as the justification for not taking climate action. I want to test whether someone from, you know, a really kind of environmentalist background can sit down with someone from a really coal mining background and, you know, connect. Can we have a really kind of useful conversation about how people can take action on climate change and look after the future of people that work in the coal industry at the same time? I'm, I'm a small amount of nervous. This town is known for being, like, fiercely pro-coal. There was a big protest called the Stoppedani Convoy that ended in Claremont. If you see on the news or from the photos, people lying to the street yelling at them, telling them to go home. There was some kind of physical altercation. This guy rode his horse through, I guess, a group of activists. And one of the activists, I think a woman in her sixties, I believe, was knocked over and got injured. So I would say it's kind of a dangerous place to go if you are obviously an environmental activist. [00:04:48] Speaker ?: I think the climate's changing. It's the biggest scam ever. Sit down, mate. Lou. They say that all the scientists who research it, you know, every day, that they say that they say that they are going to be an environmentalist. They're going to be an environmentalist. They're going to be an environmentalist. They're going to be an environmentalist. They're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. [00:05:01] Speaker 6: And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. [00:05:03] Speaker ?: And they're going to be an environmentalist. [00:05:04] Speaker 6: And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. [00:05:07] Speaker 9: And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. [00:05:09] Speaker 6: And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. [00:05:19] Speaker 9: And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. [00:05:24] Speaker 6: And they're going to be an environmentalist. [00:05:25] Speaker 9: And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. [00:05:27] Speaker 6: And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. [00:05:29] Speaker 9: And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. [00:05:34] Speaker 6: And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. [00:05:42] Speaker 9: And they're going to be an environmentalist. [00:05:43] Speaker 6: And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. [00:05:48] Speaker 9: And they're going to be an environmentalist. And they're going to be an environmentalist. [00:05:50] Speaker 8: And they're going to be an environmentalist. [00:05:51] Speaker 10: Yeah, it's an interesting place around Clermont, huh? It's a taste of the deep south. Like Mississippi or something like that. [00:06:03] Speaker 6: To get a better understanding about what's going on up here. We've arranged to meet up with Cody McAvoy. Who's a traditional owner from this area. And he and his family have been fighting Adani for years. Including blockading the road to Adani's mine. [00:06:17] Speaker 10: This is the road that we blocked for five days. [00:06:20] Speaker 11: Mining is God in this country. One mine has a lot of people. And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. [00:06:45] Speaker ?: And they're going to be the most dominant. [00:06:46] Speaker 10: And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. And they're going to be the most dominant. And, you know, me and my family, we're resisting Adani's occupation. Because I come from this area. My grandfather comes from this area. He was born here. My great-grandfather was born here. My great-great-grandfather, my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great, for who knows how long, has come from this particular area. Didn't come from anywhere else in Australia but this particular area. There's aquifers all through that area where the pit is. Dumabula Springs, which is a spring complex. They're ancient springs, so they don't dry up. It's one of a kind in Queensland. My tactics are more than just standing there with a sign protesting. You know, what do we want? So that's when I come up with the idea of Tour de Carmichael. It was basically a rip-off of Tour de France. It's a 105-kilometre bike ride from the entrance to Adani's camp. It's not a race. We're just riding as slow as possible just to slow up traffic and cost them money. [00:07:56] Speaker 12: It's going to be awesome because it's the first time something like this has happened. [00:08:02] Speaker 10: Like, just face off with Adani's workers at their camp. The workers in there are like, oh yeah, we're going to block the road and fight them. Or we're going to put spikes underneath the dirt on the road. [00:08:17] Speaker 6: Do you reckon if you got a chance to sit down like one-on-one with one of them that you could, you know, basically change their mind about the industry and that they, you know, might change their approach to what they're doing? [00:08:29] Speaker 10: Yeah, you probably could, but the problem is trying to get them to sit down with them, you know what I mean? Like, if they don't even want to come and sit down on the seat. I'm doing a documentary about basically like the coal industry and coal mining towns. [00:08:53] Speaker 6: And I saw that you guys have like stickers on this pub that say like started Adani. So I was wondering if there's anyone I could talk to. [00:09:14] Speaker ?: Hi, how are you doing? [00:09:18] Speaker 6: My name is Kim. Yeah, Roger Kim. [00:09:20] Speaker 1: Pleasure to meet you. [00:09:21] Speaker 6: Good to meet you as well. Yeah, so we're making this documentary about the state of the coal industry, future of coal. Do you like coal? Do I like coal? So, turns out it's actually really hard to get someone to talk about coal on camera up here. Is this public land or? [00:09:38] Speaker 13: Yeah, it's public land, but I was inside that enclosure when he was filming me. [00:09:42] Speaker 6: Most people are really defensive and suspicious. Everyone asks whether this is going to be pro or anti coal, as if there's only two ways to talk about this. One of the people that we met suggested that we speak to the guy that rode his horse into the activist camp. So he gave us that guy's wife's phone number. [00:10:02] Speaker ?: Hello. G'day. Is that Felicity? Yes. [00:10:06] Speaker 1: Hi, Felicity. My name's Kim. [00:10:08] Speaker 6: We came to town yesterday and we're making a documentary about coal miners. Yeah, just wondering how you're doing and if yourself and Clinton... Did you realise that he was the one that rode his through the pro taxes? Yeah, well that's what Ken said, so yeah, like Ken said... After being here a couple of days and still struggling to line up many people to talk to, we've decided to head to another coal mining town on the other side of Adani's mine to try our luck there. When we first get there, at least for the first couple of days, I feel like I need to like hide a bit of like who I am. Because I think if I start by saying, you know, that I have spent the past 13 years of my life being involved in climate action in one way or another, I don't know if we'll get to the point where we can have a conversation. I think most people would say that I'm down the radical end of climate activism. In 2008, there was a UN climate change conference that was happening in Copenhagen. And I decided to ride my bike there. Starting off in Australia. It was basically my own personal climate campaign. It took me about 18 months to get there. And by the time I got to Copenhagen, [00:11:32] Speaker 12: I had garnered a little bit of media attention. [00:11:37] Speaker 6: So I got to meet with the then Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd. I got to speak at the summit itself. And I even got nominated for Young Australian of the Year. Well, for the ACT. When the summit ended, I ended up volunteering and then later working for a bunch of different activist organizations. Like, I basically made the videos when activists were doing direct action. But after being involved for all of that time, I started to question the effectiveness of what we were doing in the climate movement. And why we weren't having more of an impact. Because it seemed like we just weren't anywhere near as effective as we needed to be. You know, compared to most of my peers, I've got very little to show for my life. I don't have any money. I don't have a stable job. I don't have any assets. I just hope that what I'm doing matters. We are just about to arrive in one of the oldest coal towns in Australia, Collinsville, which is surrounded by, I think it's three active coal mines. There's a museum in town called the Coalface Experience, which is, yeah, I'm not sure exactly. [00:13:08] Speaker 14: Like this is all spray rock. To make it look like coal. They've done a very good job. But yeah, and a floor. There's no coal mine ever that's got a floor like this. Okay. But because it's something that people are going to walk in, you can't afford to have tripping people. Here is a touch screen. You press a button. There's say four or five different explosions that you can have underground. So you just touch which one you want to watch and it shows and explains how the explosion happens and why. [00:13:35] Speaker 7: Oh, this is our crew. That's my crew. The bloke we're going downstairs to see is there. [00:13:44] Speaker 3: I grew up with guns. That's how I used to make me pocket money, shooting wallabies. [00:13:50] Speaker 13: Yeah. [00:13:54] Speaker 6: How do you keep yourself busy these days? [00:13:57] Speaker 3: I make knives. [00:14:00] Speaker 6: I should get one off you. I'm always a fan of a good knife. [00:14:03] Speaker 3: My mate got onto them and he was selling them out for 120. [00:14:07] Speaker 8: I'll take the cheap one. [00:14:10] Speaker 3: In 20 years from now, what will Collinsville look like? If they shut all the coal mines down like they want to, this town will be gone. This will be a ghost town. [00:14:20] Speaker 14: It's just going to decimate everything. [00:14:22] Speaker 3: Flatten this place. [00:14:24] Speaker 14: Do you think that the changing climate is related to coal? [00:14:30] Speaker 3: No. It's bullshit. Climate change, it changes four times a year. Now here's a good one for you. There's at least 30 or 40 active volcanoes in the world. And get all them greenies and bundle them all together. And shove them down, plug and plug the volcano with them. [00:14:52] Speaker 7: Bit harsh. [00:14:54] Speaker 6: Is there a way the town can survive with other industry or with, you know, with other options? Mike Brunker. [00:15:01] Speaker 3: He was mayor. Go green. Gotta stop the power burning coal. He'd gone blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. [00:15:08] Speaker 6: He must have said like there's some other way. [00:15:11] Speaker 3: Yeah, windmills and soil farms. And there's a whole coal mining town sitting there where he was born and bred. Listen to him. Guess where he went? Where did he go? Down, out. Shot himself in the foot. That's not a good thing to do. [00:15:27] Speaker 14: If you're going to get rid of coal, you're going to need something else. So you've got to look at something that will make a change or lots of things that collectively will make a change. Ta-da! So I'm born and bred in Collinsville, the fourth generation miner, and then my son is fifth generation miner. So 35 years all up I was in the mine. The council started up an RV park and I got in on the ground level and they got me in there. So I'm still there now. Okay, so we're going up to the virtual mine tour studio. We came up with the idea that what we were going to do is, wouldn't it be great if we had a back room that's decked out like a picture theatre with carpets and the smell and the whole thing. And the screen that we've got is a Samsung and it's the top of the range for Samsung, even though it's a little bit outdated. They've got a new model out. It's got the wow factor. [00:16:38] Speaker 6: So being in this room, is it supposed to sort of recreate the sensation of like being in the mine? [00:16:43] Speaker 14: Yes, as close as you possibly can. So the finished product is once you're in this room and sitting down, there'll be a button that you press on the TV, a start button or whatever. They watch how a mine works today. Then they come out and they go across the road to the Coalface Experience and see how hard it was for the guys that did it from the start. So yeah, I think it's going to work out really, really well. [00:17:27] Speaker 6: So we just need to follow Brett. I think he was mentioning he's like part of six generations in this town. So he kind of knows everybody. So he's arranged for us to meet a bunch of coal miners this morning. [00:17:41] Speaker 15: They just put a high-vis vest and that's it. They don't need a helmet. [00:17:46] Speaker 6: So you'd take them through? [00:17:48] Speaker 15: Yeah, I could, yeah. [00:17:49] Speaker 6: Yeah. If we had a film in the mine, then we could just put a... [00:17:52] Speaker 14: Ooh, film in the mine. I'm pretty sure they're not going to let you do that, eh? Why? Nobody likes cameras on site, as you know. You know as well as anyone. Yeah. [00:18:01] Speaker 15: They'd want to edit it. They'd want to... Of course they would. They'd want to have a lot of control. [00:18:10] Speaker 6: Good morning, fellas. Good morning. I'm Kim. Good to meet you. [00:18:14] Speaker 4: My grandfather was a coal miner. My father was a coal miner. My husband was a coal miner. And my eldest son is a coal miner. So I've run all those in the family. [00:18:25] Speaker 16: Actually, Chubby was the one that got me into mining. Created a monster. This is why I hate him for the rest of my life. It's like playing in a sandpit when you're a kid, but you're playing with these monster machines. [00:18:39] Speaker 6: So, just wondering what your thoughts are on climate change? [00:18:46] Speaker 16: It's a big money-grabbing fraud, I believe. I believe it's the biggest rort in the world. Biggest scam in the world, man. You try to avoid that subject, because you're always going to have an argument with someone over it. Because some people believe in it and other people don't. The climate is changing. [00:19:01] Speaker 15: Whether it is caused by us, whether it's a natural cycle, and whether it's a bad thing or not. [00:19:10] Speaker 6: If there was a new source that you trusted that definitively showed that climate change was causing some damage, what kind of impact do you think that might have on you? [00:19:25] Speaker 15: None, really. I don't see myself changing anything. I would definitely take it on board and have a look at it, but none of my day-to-day activities would change. I'd still go to work, still fuel my car up. If it's a hot day, turn the aircon on. Nothing would dramatically change. I wouldn't quit my job and anything dramatic like that. [00:19:51] Speaker 6: What do you guys think about the future of the industry, the coal industry? [00:19:55] Speaker 2: I hope it continues. I hope that the... Well, to get political, I hope that they run the greenies off a cliff. You know, coal is very, very important and it can't just be shut down. [00:20:13] Speaker 8: That one made me feel pretty bad. And that one made me think like, wouldn't it be nice to like hang out with people who more or less agree with what I agree with? But I can't do that. Like we shouldn't do that. [00:20:28] Speaker 6: Wow. One of the news stories is rooftop solar sends average South Australia daytime power prices below zero. I'm trying to arm myself with answers to the coal miners' main arguments against renewable energy and for coal. Because having all these conversations with the coal miners is really hard. [00:21:01] Speaker 17: I'm just hoping that we gain some more support. But I think people are starting to turn around. It'll be the talk of the town. Yeah. Did you see those traditional owners and what they did is crazy? [00:21:21] Speaker 6: It'd be weird if you're not wearing one. Yeah. Yeah, I know. Everyone else is wearing one. [00:21:28] Speaker 10: Yeah, I know. But I'm just thinking, I'm going to end up taking my shirt off anyway. Oh. Just because I'm a sick like that. I didn't work out all this time to not, to just put a shirt on for my bike ride. Yeah. I feel like the odd one out with the different shirt on. I feel like, yeah, I should change my t-shirt. I've got to match everybody else. Let's do it. [00:21:58] Speaker 4: Let's do it. I feel like the other one is wearing one. I feel like the other one is wearing one. [00:22:03] Speaker ?: I feel like the other one is wearing one. I feel like the other one is wearing one. [00:22:05] Speaker 12: I feel like the other one is wearing one. I feel like the other one is wearing one. I feel like the other one is wearing one. [00:22:08] Speaker ?: I feel like the other one is wearing one. I feel like the other one is wearing one. I feel like the other one is wearing one. I feel like the other one is wearing one. I feel like the other one is wearing one. I feel like the other one is wearing one. I feel like the other one is wearing one. I feel like the other one is wearing one. I feel like the other one is wearing one. I feel like the other one is wearing one. I feel like the other one is wearing one. I feel like the other one is wearing one. [00:22:20] Speaker 6: Is it like a fundraiser or something? Yeah, it's all for the school. Oh, nice. Nice one. [00:22:28] Speaker 14: This is a program for the birthday celebration 100 years at the school. Are you in any of the photos? No, no. This was way before my time. I'm only young. [00:22:37] Speaker 6: You know, I kind of feel like I'm maybe like letting down all my activists' friends by not responding harder to the coal miners that we're talking to. I am genuinely worried that if we don't, you know, really push those opinions or change those opinions, then like, you know, we'll end up making like a pro-coal film. It seems like people can't agree on what are the facts, which is a big problem in and of itself. [00:23:12] Speaker 8: That's right. And no one's getting, just want the truth, mate. [00:23:15] Speaker 6: What are the information sources about climate change that you guys see as being like the, you know, the correct ones, the factual ones? [00:23:23] Speaker 16: Oh, you're going to let that lead on that one, brother. Oh, no. I do believe that we're, we're, we're, we are affecting the climate. We have to be with the amount of industry and it's always growing. There's more and more industry going. There's more and more pollution getting put in the air. [00:23:39] Speaker 7: Stand aside or bear a child. [00:23:49] Speaker 4: I'm always coughing. I've been told it is because of the coldest. I cough every afternoon. [00:23:54] Speaker 6: Are there things you can do to try to protect your lungs? [00:23:58] Speaker 4: Well, I used to be getting around with a mask on. I wouldn't be so bad now because everybody's had to wear a mask last year. [00:24:08] Speaker 16: You're saying if there's other industry, would people jump? And yeah, they probably would because it is dangerous to your health. All the coal that you keep breathing in, the coal dust. A lot of people would just jump ship. If they get paid the same money for doing something else that was a cleaner job, they'd go and do it. They'd jump at it. I would. [00:24:24] Speaker 14: The last four years I was at the mine, we, we bought a service station. What happened was the, the mining industry went into a slump. Uh, price of coal went through the floor. So basically everything slowed down to such a stage. It just, we couldn't hang on any longer. So we ended up shutting the doors. Oh wow. It's still good in the menu. Yeah. Still got everything there. Yeah. I miss it. [00:24:47] Speaker ?: I just can't bring myself to be here. [00:24:48] Speaker 14: It's a, one of those things. [00:24:50] Speaker 2: But that's happening across the board. We haven't got another industry here, but, but coal. I just come through a town called Atherton up on the, on the table lands. And there's no shop fronts that are empty. The main street is chock a block full of people. It was, they're all carrying bags out of, out of shops. And it was, it was amazing to see. Because they don't rely on one industry. [00:25:17] Speaker 6: Talking about energy transition, this term energy transition. New, clean, green tech, that kind of thing. Has anyone come here to talk about any of those things? I haven't followed them. [00:25:29] Speaker 15: But being a somewhat, a little bit of a fan of Elon Musk and the batteries. [00:25:35] Speaker 6: So if there was like, I think Elon did in South Australia and he was like, yeah, we're going to build this massive battery somewhere in the vicinity. Yep. And there were jobs going. [00:25:45] Speaker ?: Yep. [00:25:45] Speaker 6: How do you feel about that? Yep. [00:25:47] Speaker 15: Great. I'd be like, yeah, I want to be involved in that. Yep. Absolutely. [00:25:51] Speaker 5: I'd say the average person, whether they work in the coal industry or anywhere else, the average person on the street, he understands that, yeah, maybe we do got to do some change to get, to go forward. Oh yeah, I've lost the plot again. Where I was going with that. It sounded, it was a good start. I was like, it sounded really good. Ask him, what do they think of Australia and the world? And they'll say, it's fucked. [00:26:21] Speaker 6: Sometimes Australia feels like very divided at the moment. I'm trying to explore whether it's possible for people from, you know, different sides of politics to come together, have a conversation and find common ground and maybe find some common solutions. [00:26:36] Speaker 16: Well, they need to. It's just a matter who's going to approach it first. Yep, absolutely. [00:26:40] Speaker 15: But I don't think the people like you and me having a chat will change anything because of the people that make the decisions higher up. They don't want them conversations. It's a shame. [00:26:55] Speaker 2: I don't think there's ever going to be common ground. So we'll always be fighting. [00:27:10] Speaker 6: I'm hoping that we can keep on talking and keep this conversation going even when we leave, you know, Northern Queensland. I think Felicity and Clinton think that we are basically pro coal. Yeah. Turn right there. Follow dirt track to closed gate. Clinton is kind of notorious for having ridden his horse through the Stopadani convoy camp when they came to Clomont. Like his horse hit a woman who was in that camp who got injured and had to go to hospital. Nice place you got here. A lot of horses. Yeah. Is it okay if we put a microphone on you so we can hear you? I don't know. Have you had a chance to say anything to the woman that got injured or anything like that? No, I'm not allowed. [00:28:37] Speaker 13: I'm not allowed to go near protesters. I stay away from them. I don't want to get involved. These are just photos that some of my colleagues from where I work took of Adani protesters tying themselves to our machinery. I reckon like some of it's a bit crazy and dangerous. [00:29:07] Speaker 6: Can you tell us about the day like when you rode that horse? Like what was your thinking when you were doing it? [00:29:14] Speaker 13: They just come out to stop our livelihood. This is how we feed our families. We make money out of mining coal. They're not giving us any other alternative. [00:29:27] Speaker 6: I mean a lot of people in the cities kind of think that people in coal mining towns don't understand climate change or don't believe in climate change. [00:29:37] Speaker 13: A lot of us, especially for my generation, I have friends, we do believe in it. We went to school, we learn about it. It's the last generation of doing things this way. I reckon I'd like to get solar panels here one day. I can't do it straight away. You've just got to work towards it. [00:30:10] Speaker ?: Yeah. [00:30:11] Speaker 6: I mean, I'm not sure with the, I guess the conditions of what happened with the horse and stuff. But I feel like you're a smart guy. We're having a good conversation. You've got really good ideas. And I feel like these people have some good ideas as well. Like, yeah, I feel like if it was possible to just kind of sit down to try to share, you know, you could share your ideas with this fella. He could share his ideas with you. And then who knows, something really awesome could come from that. [00:30:41] Speaker 13: I think that's what has to happen. But, um, I think more, the more powerful and wealthier people need to talk. I'm just one person. We're just caught up in the drama. Just feed her. She's probably scared of the new fellas. [00:31:10] Speaker 18: Mama got hit by a car. Here, look. What's your bottle? [00:31:16] Speaker 8: What's her name? Jewelry. Jewelry. Whew. I mean, it was incredible. [00:31:23] Speaker 6: Like, you would have thought if you were looking for the most right-wing, pro-coal, anti-climate person in the country, you would have thought this has got to be the guy. [00:31:34] Speaker 8: And we were proved wrong. We were proved really wrong. [00:31:40] Speaker ?: I think it's good, like you guys. Hey there. Hey. Hey. [00:31:43] Speaker 12: I'm going to take your shot off there. I think it fits like you guys. I'm going to take your shot off there. I'm going to take your shot off there. I'm going to take your shot off there. [00:32:58] Speaker ?: I'm going to take your shot off there. I'm going to take your shot off there. [00:33:11] Speaker 6: I've been involved in climate activism for 13 years and in Australia in particular it's felt like we've been at a standstill for nearly all of that time. [00:33:20] Speaker 18: We understand that coal is what drives the world right now but it's time to actually start moving away from it. There are definitely more options out there that don't need to be so destructive. [00:33:35] Speaker 6: Our government has said we're not going to transition from coal and mainly they've said the reason is for the jobs for the coal miners. So to come here and have these conversations and hear from people who live here I started getting more and more concerned about climate change and this kind of thing. I ended up getting really involved in different groups that were and still are trying to shift the world from coal to new energies that kind of thing. Yeah. So when I was asking the questions and stuff I guess did you kind of pick up on I guess what my kind of personal view. Oh for sure. For sure. [00:34:12] Speaker 14: And you were very open to you know what you knew what cage you were walking into. [00:34:19] Speaker 10: People would say to me well you worked in a coal mine and I was like you did. That gives me the experience because I know I've seen the destruction myself firsthand. So I'm not an outsider. I'm somebody that's lived in your world and I'm telling you it's not good. [00:34:33] Speaker 6: Like if there are folks like myself that are kind of in a city greeny kind of bubble type would you say it's a good idea for people like those kind of people to come up here and have conversations and chat and get to know people. Of course. Of course. They want to be able to meet with people on the opposite side of politics and have conversations and come up with solutions together. [00:34:55] Speaker 10: It's just trying to make that transition easy enough for coal miners because you can't just take their job away from them. Because they'll lose everything. The workers that live in you know Claremont, Collinsville their whole life they've been coal miners. [00:35:11] Speaker 6: What do you reckon is the best like for the guys trying to stop Adani like what are you wanting me to put a game plan forward. [00:35:18] Speaker 14: Show that they can win. [00:35:20] Speaker 10: In Queensland there's over 16,000 unrehabilitated mines. That's a lot of work. They can it's transferable skills. They can rehabilitate all these mines that are around in the country keep them in their skills and in their machinery that they use. But instead of digging up they're putting back. [00:35:39] Speaker 14: You're getting individuals who are probably the same class as you guys if that's a word. [00:35:47] Speaker 10: You know the mining companies won't stop because they believe in climate change. Coal mining companies probably do believe in climate change but profits come first. You know shareholders come first. [00:36:01] Speaker 6: Yeah like the coal miners. Yes. And the people protesting are sort of on the you know generally ish the same level. [00:36:07] Speaker 14: They're not the people with all the money and the power. They're hardworking people with children and families and that and they only want the best for the families. They only want the best for the areas and all that sort of stuff. So they shouldn't be creating a problem for each other because you're divided. If you're not divided you're strong. [00:36:25] Speaker 18: We're all just the same. Yeah. We're all just human. We're all just as lost as each other. [00:36:31] Speaker 6: Do you have any questions for us? When are you going? So don't go too fast because at the bottom of this. Yeah. [00:36:39] Speaker ?: Yeah. [00:36:40] Speaker 6: Yeah. All right. Thanks guys. Awesome to meet you both. Oh the other way. [00:36:47] Speaker ?: Oh that way. Straight out of there on that one. Okay. You're trying to get rid of us. [00:36:51] Speaker 6: Yeah. Thanks again. Thank you.