University of Tasmania
Browse

File(s) under permanent embargo

Only in Queensland? Coal mines and voting in the 2019 federal election

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-20, 16:52 authored by Bruce TranterBruce Tranter, Foxwell-Norton, K
Australians are deeply divided over the prospect of new coal mines. Heated political debates at the federal level between conservative Coalition governments and Labor and the Greens echo divisions in public opinion. New data from the 2019 Comparative Study of Electoral Systems show that almost half of all Australians agree the government should allow the development of new coal mines, although substantial divisions in support are apparent on the basis of social background, political orientations and party identification. Our social and political background findings are almost the mirror image of the correlates of accepting anthropogenic climate change. Statebased differences are also apparent, with Queenslanders more likely than people in other states to support the construction of new coal mines. Yet, while in regional Queensland voting decisions may have been influenced by the prospect of increased employment, in general, voting in Queensland does not appear to be associated strongly with attitudes toward new coal mines. Simplistic binaries of acting to ameliorate climate change versus supporting the fossil fuel industry fail to account for the complexity of Australians’ views on coal mining and carbon emissions.

History

Publication title

Environmental Sociology

Volume

7

Pagination

90-101

ISSN

2325-1042

Department/School

School of Social Sciences

Publisher

Routledge

Place of publication

United Kingdom

Rights statement

Copyright 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Social impacts of climate change and variability

Usage metrics

    University Of Tasmania

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC