In Hunter, where coal is king, a Labor heartland seat faces a strong Coalition challenge

The ALP has held the NSW electorate at every election since 1910. But with seismic changes under way, the valley's miners are eyeing the future with uneaseAnywhere but Canberra: seat profilesRead our latest election briefing and listen to today's campaign catchup podcastElection 2022 seat explorer; Pork-o-meter election promises trackerGuardian Australia's full federal election coverageGet our free news app; get our morning email briefingIf there's one place in the nation where the rubber hits the road on Australia's decades-long discussion about the climate crisis, fossil fuels, mining and jobs - it's the seat of Hunter. The coal-rich electorate, which spans from Lake Macquarie in the south to north-west of Newcastle, is the epicentre of seismic shifts in the landscape; giant changes which are political, economic and literal in nature.The economic shift comes as the proud mining region begins to ponder a future after coal. Both the Coalition and Labor are telling the Hunter some variation of "if the world wants to buy our coal, we'll sell it", with residents proudly talking up the minerals cut from Singleton and Muswellbrook as the cleanest on Earth; but both sides also spruik the Hunter as a potential global hub for clean energy, hydrogen, green steel and aluminium. Billions of dollars are pouring in. Locals talk of solar panels and transition. Continue reading...