NSW government abandons plan for air pollution policy after five years of planning

Communities and advocates decry backflip' after years of planning for statewide framework to reduce toxic air

The Berejiklian government has abandoned a long-held commitment to adopt a statewide policy on air pollution after years of planning that included a state summit on the issue.

The decision to drop a standalone clean air strategy has sparked anger from communities living near major sources of pollution, such as coal-fired power stations, who say without an overarching strategy they can have no confidence their air quality will improve.