IMO, the pro-coal lobby promotes coal by the number of jobs it supplies while the coal industry is working like beavers to reduce the number of coal mining jobs through automation (less people employed-more capital emplyed)
Since we live in a Capitalist world, we should be conserving our own capital by seeking the most economic solution; not what provides jobs for others.
The general savings to Government can then go to the General Good At present 90% of coal mining profits go overseas and as such we should be promoting renewables (provided they stack up economically) to retain optimum capital in Aus so that we dont have to borrow overseas like at present.
For this reason it is imperative that our electricity Grid & battery storage systems are publicly owned for the General Good.
If Capitalists own our coal mines, then we should treat them as capitalists; not altruistic suppliers of jobs.
