COLLIE-PRESTON MLA Mick Murray has described as "scaremongering" a planned protest against Griffin Coal's plans to export coal from Bunbury Port.
Bunbury Against Coal Exports is working with the Conservation Council of Western Australia to prevent the miner from seeing through plans to export 16 million tonnes of coal per year to Asia by 2018.
Griffin officials have repeatedly stated that beginning large-scale international exports is the most significant measure being done to improve the company's dire financial performance.
Members of the Bunbury community will launch a new campaign at Koombana Beach today.
"I'm disappointed the Conservation Council is doing this without any research into how the coal will be delivered and put into the ships," Mr Murray said.
"It will be in containers and there will be minimal dust or pollution of any sort."
Mr Murray said the coal industry was a major contributor to the South West economy.
"If these people want to shut that down there will be many local businesses that suffer," he said.
"If Griffin can't do this, they're in big bother, there's nowhere for them to sell coal."
Mr Murray said he had been part of a delegation of Bunbury people who went to Newcastle to inspect coal operations.
"We saw first-hand a port that puts out millions of tonnes a year that co-existed with suburbia right on its doorstep," he said.
Bunbury Against Coal Exports spokesman Laurie Capill said Bunbury had a choice "whether it wants to be a 21st century city or the black lung, the dirty coal city, the Newcastle of Western Australia."
Mr Capill said he understood concerns about job losses and electricity price rises that would result from a Griffin collapse but said people had to recognise that the fossil fuel industry's time was up.
"If it [Griffin] needs to keep mining coal and exporting coal to survive then maybe it shouldn't be surviving," he said.
"The whole financial viability of this company is very questionable."
Mr Capill said he expected about 100 people at Koombana Beach for the campaign launch from 5pm, where Greens senator Scott Ludlam, technical experts and citizens would speak.
"Bunbury residents need to decide do they want a dirty coal port or a modern city?" he said.
Griffin Coal spokesman James Riordan said the company was coming to the end of the 30-month primary approval process and was looking forward to working with regulators and the community to ensure strict adherence to conditions set by the minister and the Environmental Protection Authority.
