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Sky News host Alan Jones says NSW Energy Minister Matt Kean is a “prisoner” of the bureaucracy, who has suddenly become the “great supporter” of coal miners now that there is a by-election in the Upper Hunter.

“Last night I had the Federal Queensland Senator Matt Canavan on the program talking coal," he said.

“He and Barnaby Joyce are the only two National Party people in Canberra who are willing to stick their necks out to defend the coal industry.

“The same cannot be said for others in the National Party and, as we all know, the Liberal Party.

“It is not an exaggeration to say that both Labor and the Liberals hate coal. Just ask Matt Kean.

“In the last three years, he has relentlessly bagged out coal.

“But now that there will be a by-election in the seat of Upper Hunter, and the NSW Government must win the seat or they will go into minority status - Kean is, suddenly, the great supporter of coal miners.

“Matt Kean is a prisoner of the bureaucracy - they are mostly left wing.

“Give him a piece of paper and he will read it word for word – he’s a bureaucrat's dream.”

Mr Jones also said voters in the Upper Hunter region will need to “ask themselves” if they can trust the Nationals to stand up to Liberal “elites” like Matt Kean, or perhaps vote for the One Nation candidate who is a former coal miner.

“Voters in the Upper Hunter gotta ask themselves whether they can trust the NSW Nationals to stand up to inner-city Liberal elites like Matt Kean,” he said.

“This is a big contest - May 22.

“It seems as we stand now that only One Nation's Dale McNamara, a former coalminer now businessman from Singleton, can be trusted to support the coal jobs in the Upper Hunter.”