Chief executive of the Australian Coal Association Nikki Williams said the coal industry was already suffering from declining profits with the prospect of even tougher times ahead.

“Currently, Australian coal producers have the highest cost base in the world with burdensome taxes and a sloth-like, cumbersome and costly regulatory system,” she said.

“Labyrinthine regulations are continuing to stymie economic growth, causing project delays, putting investment at risk and, worst of all, utterly failing to deliver better environmental or social outcomes.

“Around 11,000 jobs have been shed from the industry in the last 12-odd months and yet we have seen nothing from government to indicate it is remotely concerned about the lives of these workers and their families, and have not heard a word about its plans to secure those jobs for the future.”

Given the importance of the coal industry to Australia, workers in NSW and Queensland should be given confidence about their jobs, Williams said.

“However, if the current complacency persists, coal mining jobs will continue to be lost to competitor countries such as Indonesia, the United States, Colombia and Mongolia, which are shifting their coal production into our export markets,” she said.

“It is simply not good enough to state that the mining boom is over and that government will now focus on other industries to generate jobs and economic wealth.

The government cannot wash its hands of the industry because long-term growth opportunities still exist for the coal industry as we transition into the next stage of the commodities cycle.”

The industrial transformation of developing countries in Asia, particularly China and India, will continue over the long term and with the broader coal economy contributing $60 billion to Australia.

“Our political leaders must assume responsibility for developing and implementing practical policies that provide efficiency, certainty, productivity and improved competitiveness for coal in order both to protect high value coal mining jobs, ensure a viable services support sector and economic growth for the future,” she said.

Candidates from all political parties should be fully aware that voters in NSW support a strong mining industry, according to a spokesman from the NSW Minerals Council.

“The economy is the main issue in this election and voters will be assessing whether the policies of those running for office will ensure economic stability to protect jobs in NSW and nationally,” he said.

“Most residents in NSW understand that mining is one of the key contributors to safeguarding the economic future of our state.”

Research conducted in March by Crosby Textor has shown that over two-thirds of NSW residents support the mining industry in NSW and 89% of people surveyed believe a strong mining industry is important for our state’s future.

The research showed that support levels were fairly consistent across the community, with 79% of Liberal/National voters expressing their support for mining and 73% of Labor voters indicating their support.

“NSW mining is facing challenging times due to low commodity prices, the high Australian dollar, and the high level of industry uncertainty stemming from burdensome policies including the carbon tax and the mining tax at a federal level and the current uncertainty surrounding the NSW planning system,” according to the spokesman.

“Voters in the traditional mining regions of the Hunter and the Illawarra in particular will be watching closely to see which candidates are prepared to support mining and keep the NSW economy strong.”