Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

The member for Maribyrnong should give the poor old fellow a question once in a blue moon. Give him a question. Help him out. Help your workmate out. Justice McMurdo, of the Queensland Supreme Court, said that if the Carmichael mine proceeded it would not increase the amount of global greenhouse gases or any environment impact resulting from those gases. There would be the same or greater harm if the mine did not proceed. What we need from the Australian Labor Party is support for coal miners. It was disappointing last night to hear the member for Shortland saying, to quote from the Hansard:

The truth is that our power station fleet is very old.

He then went on to say:

The replacement is very unlikely to be new coal-fired power.

That is saying something to the people of the Hunter Valley. When are you going to stand up for the coalminers of the Hunter Valley? When are you going to start believing in the miners of the Hunter Valley? When are you going to stand up for them? When are you going to change the policy of your party and stand behind the Carmichael mine? Stand by the Carmichael mine so that the Labor Party can once more start standing up for blue-collar workers. They can start standing up for blue-collar workers, start believing in blue-collar workers, rather than believing in Balmain.

Balmain is fine! Coffee shops are fine! But coalmines are all right too. We stand behind coalmines and we look forward to the Australian Labor Party and the former head of the AWU, who turns his back on coalminers—and the camera is fair and square on the back of your head as we speak!—turning around and start believing in their core constituency.

And whilst you are at it: give the member for Grayndler a question, for God's sake! Help him out!

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