Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Flynn for that question. There is no doubt that the recent Federal Court decision in relation to the Adani Carmichael mine is a setback for the reputational risk of Australia. It is also a setback for potentially 10,000 new jobs, primarily in Queensland. There has been a litany of challenges against a mine that in fact is going to power the lives of 100 million impoverished people in India. It represents $20 billion of investment in Australia and 10,000 new jobs in Australia. And they are real jobs for truck drivers, train drivers, electricians, engineers, mechanics and geoscientists stretching from Cairns to Mackay, Brisbane and Perth—right across the country, and particularly in Gladstone. These jobs are now absolutely threatened by the militancy of the green movement led by the Mackay Conservation Group. The Mackay Conservation Group was the main legal challenger against the Adani Carmichael mine. The Mackay Conservation Group is located 600 kilometres from the mine, 10 hours drive from the mine. It is represented by the New South Wales Environmental Defenders Office, which is located 13½ hours from the mine.

This is a test for the Labor Party—are they more interested in the politics of the green movement and are they more interested in the preferences of the Greens party or do they really care about the workers of Australia? Does the Labor Party care about the workers of Australia?

Government members: No!

It is only the coalition that is prepared to stand up for the workers, and nothing illustrates it better than what is happening in relation to the Adani Carmichael mine. The government is going to stand up for this investment because fundamentally this is about lifting people in another part of the world out of poverty as a result of Australia's surplus of energy. It is about creating jobs here in Australia that are going to build our prosperity and, fundamentally, it is about standing up to the bullies in the green movement who want to see an end to prosperity.

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