The announcement of the Australia-China free trade agreement in November provided some positive news for Australian coal miners. The 3% tariff on coking coal will be removed on day 1, however, the 6% tariff on thermal coal will not be phased out for another 2 years.

China is currently Australia’s second largest coal market, taking close to a quarter of all exports, and is the world’s largest coal consumer.

Greater access to the huge market is a significant boost for struggling coal miners.