The Train Driver Who Might Just Save the Hunter Valley — with Weed

Here’s a wild idea: what if the future of the Hunter wasn’t in the hands of bureaucrats in Sydney or millionaire blow-ins from Queensland, but with a coal train driver from the Valley who’s not afraid to think differently? Meet Andrew Fenwick — the Legalise Cannabis Party candidate for Hunter — a man who still drives coal trains for a living while running for Parliament. That alone puts him miles ahead of the polished career politicians in Canberra who wouldn’t last five minutes shovelling real coal, let alone defending the industry.

While Labor and the Liberals fight over who can kill coal more gently, Fenwick is looking at the obvious: coal mining will eventually shut down, no matter how much politicians pretend otherwise. The mines are already closing. That’s the brutal reality. But instead of sitting around crying into a clipboard while unelected bureaucrats talk about “transition plans” that never go anywhere, Fenwick wants to take a risk — a real one.