The subsidies aren't only for mining they are also paid for the power produced from the coal and the infrastructure that's needed for coal power to get to get to the end user. Was it $20billion or $40billion the government has recently paid out to cover the upgrades to the national grid? If they had spent that on solar thermal power stations, with base power built in, in the areas where the power is consumed, we would be one giant step closer to shutting down the dirty coal power stations. Instead we have thrown that money away in yet another huge subsidy to encourage and support fossil fuel.
