Tuesday, August 29, 2006

a break in the writing of a thesis




The top picture is of the Mt Arthur coal Mine near Muswellbrook (courtesy of Greens MP Lee Rhiannon)
and the lower picture is of the (operational) Bluescope Steel Port Kembla steelworks in Wollongong. (taken by yours truly).

So I have been immersing my mind in coal dust and steelworks smog over the last few months, in order to complete my geography thesis.

It's called "Just transitions in the Hunter: Entitlement and Obligation in the BHP steelworks closure, and lessons for the future of the Hunter coal industry."

My questions really are about potentiality, and whether a successful model can be transplanted to a different set of political circumstances, in a similar industry in the same region (The Hunter Region).

These are my research questions:
1. What factors led to the achievement of a just transition during the closure of the steelworks in Newcastle?
2. To what extent can the “Pathways Project” and its associated policies be used as a model for future industry closures?
3. What lessons can be applied to coal industry restructuring and closures in the Hunter?

Hence there is a complex array of variables that I confront in asking this question, that in themselves are very interesting to think about.