The toxic legacy of coal-fired power cannot be forgotten as power stations shut.

Our environment, community and economy have spoken — we are no longer reliant on coal-fired power. 

More and more coal-fired power stations are making the move to fast-track their exit from coal to a newer, greener and safer future of renewable energy. 

But it is not acceptable for the fossil-fuel industry to simply turn off the taps, pocket their profits and walk away. 

The Government must step in to ensure all coal-fired power station operators are required to clean up their mess.

Right now, 200 million tonnes of coal ash is sitting idle across our state, mostly in unlined dams which leak toxic heavy metals into our environment. These sites remain untreated and unremediated — a huge risk to the health and wellbeing of the communities surrounding them. 

Our parliamentary inquiry into coal ash found that although it is a toxic product, coal ash can be recycled safely into so many useful products — concrete, wallboard, roads, bridges, and more. But right now, NSW is lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to developing a robust coal ash reuse industry which is sustainable, smarter and safer for all.