Ted O'Brien (Fairfax, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

is nothing but a pathway to economically crippling this state and this country.

As a Queenslander, let me be very clear: I will not tolerate hearing—it does not matter whether from the Greens, Labor, GetUp! or a political activist—proposals which undermine our economic competence as a country. I will not support ideas that strip jobs from Queenslanders and that fundamentally undermine our sovereignty as a country.

We are creating a sovereign risk. What sort of message do we give to the rest of the world as importers of capital when we say no to major investment projects? But the Greens and Labor are happy with that because they do not care about jobs. They do not care about economic certainty. They do not care about our businesses being competent.

What they will say is: 'Oh, but we've got to look after the environment.' But if indeed they cared about the environment, they would be supporting the idea of a new coal-fired power station, one that is highly efficient and has low emissions. These are the sorts of ideas they should be looking at.

For the Labor Party to be rejecting the idea of a new coal-fired power station and the Adani project actually is irresponsible from an environmental point of view. Forget the garbage about the Reef—I mean, this is a mine that would be 300 kilometres inland, with over 300 conditions already placed on it. The only option, particularly for those overseas, who will be using coal, is to use dirtier coal. Do you think dirtier coal is better for the environment than cleaner coal from Australia? No. Do you believe that a new-technology coal-fired power station that delivers lower emissions is a good thing for the environment? Absolutely it is.

The Labor Party have joined the Greens, GetUp! and the political activists. They are undermining the state of Queensland and undermining our country. (Time expired)

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