Coal, climate and change: The narrative drivers of Australia’s coal economy

Abstract

Coal phase-out poses significant challenges for resource intensive economies with substantial coal sectors. Narratives are a key strategy for managing these challenges. As a resource intensive nation, the contributions of the coal sector to Australia’s economy are central to explaining the country’s on-going political commitment to coal. But the country’s socio-cultural context – social, cultural and geographic - is also critically important, since it amplifies the economic impact. Additionally these socio-cultural elements are increasingly utilised narratively by energy regime incumbents in strategic efforts to maintain business-as-usual. This is particularly so at a time when climate awareness is growing and renewables have established themselves as both popular and viable. The paper focuses both on the key narratives employed by Australian federal Coalition governments from 2013 to early 2020, and also how they change over time in response to changing societal contexts. Since narrative analysis helps reveal an issue’s power relations, telling Australia’s coal story through the conduit of these narratives helps to disclose both the characteristics and strategies of its contemporary coal politics. We focus on the state of Queensland, one of Australia’s largest coal mining states. Many of this study's findings can inform understanding of similar contexts across Australia and other coal-rich democracies worldwide.