Hogsback was recently trapped in Sydney's Town Hall railway station because thousands of school students had skipped class to descend on the Town Hall steps and protest against Adani in a bid to stop climate change.

 

What was amazing was the number of adults and teachers shepherding the kids around in what was supposed to be a student-lead protest.

 

They could be seen coordinating the rally, prompting kids who forgot their lines in speeches, and handing out anti-coal paraphernalia.

 

There was a very moving rendition of John Lennon's hit Imagine, which is proof the event was orchestrated by Greens baby-boomers because most of those kids would not even know who John Lennon was.    

 

On the policy front, things are beginning to sound like Helter Skelter. 

 

The latest policy pronouncement from Greens leader Richard di Natale and his coal-hating sidekick Adam Bandt sets out their grand strategy for Australian coal.

 

All exports of thermal coal will cease by 2030.  Australia's fleet of coal-fired power stations will shut down on the same date.

 

The Greens also propose a new authority, called Renew Australia, which would oversee the phasing out of coal by setting a yearly limit on coal exports from 2020.

 

It also wants a set of procedures that would require resources companies to secure permits at auction in order to export product.

 

Di Natale and his fellow climate change warriors do not provide any ideas as to how Australia's economy will function after 2030. 

 

According to the latest figures from Coal Services, New South Wales exported 164 million tonnes of coal in 2018, making it the state's biggest export in value terms.

  

It also provided the state government with much needed royalties as stamp duty declined along with the value of house prices.

 

If this trend were to continue by 2030, the state and federal governments would be begging the coal industry to keep mining and exporting.

 

Economic reality doesn't figure into the Greens brave new world. 

 

As long as coal mining stops, all is okay.     

 

With so many people out in the broader community claiming to be so concerned about climate change, the Greens have to go one step further - hence their absurd policies, which include calls for jailing anyone who mines or exports.  

 

It will be interesting to see whether Australian voters see through some of these crazy policies in the next federal election and allow coal mining to maintain its position as one of the nation's leading industries.