Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House notes that:

(1) the Australian coal industry plays a vital role in the creation of jobs and investment in this country, particularly in central Queensland;

(2) coal-fired power stations have an ongoing role in Australia in ensuring consistent, affordable and safe supply of electricity for all Australians;

(3) while acknowledging the current and future growth of renewable energy sources in Australia, energy sourced from coal will continue to be a major contributor to our national energy output for the foreseeable future; and

(4) major resource company directors in Australia have flagged concerns that a lack of 'energy security' in Australia would make major minerals and resources projects unviable, deterring future international investment and harming jobs and growth.

We are all aware of the negative campaigns attempting to block investment of new coalmines in Australia. Today, I would like to address the impact this is having on energy security and the creation of employment opportunities, especially for my electorate of Capricornia. We need to wake up instead of get up.

Australia is leading the way internationally in clean coal technology. Black coal from Queensland is the most energy efficient in the world in terms of kinetic output per unit of coal burned. By supplying clean coal to the world, we are securing our own future while providing basic needs to the developing world with a cleaner outcome.

The Greens and lobby groups think that stopping coalmine development in Australia will resolve global environmental issues. This is like thinking you can build a house with zippy ties and sticky tape. Australia and, indeed, the world will eventually transition to new forms of energy supply. To suggest this is going to happen overnight is not only irrational but also irresponsible. The world will continue to source coal whether or not the 30 proposed coal projects in Capricornia go ahead or not. It is just that it will not be sourced from Australia. It is going to cost us jobs and it is going to cost us the environment.

This is not just about Adani, Alpha, Waratah or Hancock getting approvals. This is about ensuring Australia's own energy security in a world of growing demand. Our domestic energy supply and pricing can be supported by high-efficiency, low-emission coal-fired power generation technology. Australia can and should be leading the way in developing HELE coal-fired power plants to produce more electricity with less coal at less cost.

Around the world, over 1,200 plants are under construction—achieving over 45 per cent efficiencies. Australia has none planned. How can we, when new investment in coal is constantly delayed? We must ensure Australia's power supplies are affordable for the everyday household, and we absolutely need to ensure businesses can remain competitive on a global scale. Imagine if we turned off the coal tap tomorrow. That is 230,000 jobs gone in mining. Electricity prices soar, eliminating another 16 per cent of jobs from the construction and manufacturing sectors. With a fifth of the country out of work, the retail sector crumbles. It may sound like an exaggerated, dystopian fantasy, but this is a real outcome if we allow this country to be held hostage by the Greens and the union-backed lobby groups who support them.

On a recent trip to the Pioneer Valley in my electorate of Capricornia, a sugarcane grower told me that electricity required to pump water was costing $9 per tonne. They are considering switching to diesel. In Rockhampton, for Dobinsons Spring & Suspension, power costs have tripled in 10 years. Solar installation has helped, but it is no use for early morning furnace operations. They too are considering diesel. If companies fail, jobs for working families go with them.

I know the Greens think that the sun shines out of a different place, but the reality for business is that solar energy has to come from the sky and battery storage. The former is not reliable and the latter is currently too expensive. Businesses will look for alternatives that allow them to stay in business, and that alternative is much dirtier than clean coal; it is diesel. Anyone who has flown into Jakarta, Beijing or Bombay knows the familiar smell of diesel in the stratosphere. Is that really what Australia wants? We have to allow resource and mineral projects in Central Queensland to go ahead, and we have to develop HELE coal-fired power stations. We need to trust that the very investors in coal today will be the innovators of renewable energy tomorrow. We need to understand that Australia's coal is amongst the cleanest in the world. We will not save the environment by stopping coalmines and coal-fired power. In fact, it is quite likely to be the opposite.

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