Origin urged to strike longer-term Myuna deal as MPs warn 300 jobs at risk

newy.com.au – Federal MPs

Pat Conroy and Dan Repacholi have accused Origin Energy of “playing corporate games” over stalled contract talks that they say threaten the future of Myuna Colliery and about 300 direct jobs in the Lake Macquarie and Hunter region.

In a joint statement on Wednesday 4 February 2026, the Labor members said negotiations between Origin and Centennial Coal for a coal supply agreement had broken down after Origin put forward a short-term proposal that Centennial rejected as commercially unviable and offering no certainty for workers or the wider community.

The MPs said Myuna Colliery was built solely to supply coal to Origin’s Eraring Power Station and had no alternative domestic or export markets, leaving it exposed if a longer-term deal is not reached.

They argued the contract dispute was particularly stark given Origin has extended the life of Eraring until at least 2029, saying the company was continuing to generate electricity while declining to guarantee the jobs that support that generation.

Conroy, the Federal Member for Shortland and Minister for Defence Industry, said the community and workforce deserved a fairer approach from Origin. “Origin has generated power and profits for decades off the backs of these workers but is now turning its back on them,” he said, describing the company’s position as “a meagre offer” and calling for an agreement that provided “financial security and certainty … for a few more years”.

Repacholi, the Federal Member for Hunter and Special Envoy for Men’s Health, said the proposal did not match Origin’s longer-term plans for the power station. “Eraring is running until 2029 and while Origin is locking in years of power generation, they’re refusing to lock in the local jobs that make that power possible,” he said.

He said Myuna’s reliance on Eraring meant the stakes were clear. “There is no alternative market. If Origin walks away, this mine closes and that is a deliberate commercial choice, not an unavoidable part of the energy transition,” Repacholi said.

Both MPs said they backed the Mining and Energy Union’s campaign and pointed to growing local pressure, including the Stop the Wangi Wipeout Save Myuna campaign, for Origin to return to negotiations with a longer-term agreement they said would keep workers employed while Eraring continues operating.