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.
He wants to legalise cannabis. And not just so your cousin can legally get baked on the weekend. No — Fenwick sees the cannabis industry as a multi-billion-dollar opportunity for the Hunter. Grow it here. Process it here. Sell it to the world. High-grade medical cannabis is already legal, but red tape and cowardly politics are choking the industry before it’s even started.
Legal cannabis could mean thousands of new jobs in agriculture, science, logistics, manufacturing — you name it. It’s not fantasy. Countries all over the world are doing it. But in Australia? We’re too busy pretending pot is still some moral evil, while drug gangs rake in billions and the police are stuck busting kids with joints instead of dismantling syndicates.
And Fenwick’s not just pushing for blanket legalisation without thinking. He wants better roadside testing too — not just tests that say you’ve used cannabis in the last week, but tests that actually prove impairment. In other words, real science. Common sense. Something sorely missing from most cannabis policy in this country.
Let’s be honest: the Hunter is staring down a cliff. Once coal is gone — and it will be — what’s left? Net Zero grants? A solar panel factory that employs twelve people? Tourism? That’s not going to pay for mortgages in Singleton or keep pubs open in Muswellbrook.
It’s going to take vision. Guts. Backbone. And maybe — just maybe — it’ll take weed.
Fenwick isn’t perfect. No politician is. But he’s on the trains. He’s in the dirt. And he’s not afraid to say what every other candidate dances around: the Hunter needs a future now, not after it’s too late.
Vote wisely. Because a vote for Andrew Fenwick might be the only one that actually smokes out a solution.
