ABC’s 4 Corners brought home to Australia this week the high cost Hunter families are paying for the NSW’s government’s addiction to coal revenues.

Respiratory problems are rife, cancer clusters coming to light and people advised to move out of the area to save their and their children’s health.  Calls for an independent health enquiry and more 2.5PM dust monitors have been arrogantly dismissed by NSW’s Health Minister.  Yet again the cumulative health and environmental impacts of massive mining expansion have slipped through the regulatory cracks because dust containing toxic metals and other chronic disease initiators is not mine specific.

What price people’s health?  What happens when the Hunter Health bill outstrips the coal royalties? And is this happening already?