George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, visited this place a year ago, he spoke about the growing energy demands of his country. In particular, he spoke about the need for clean energy and then listed where that clean energy was going to come from—hydro, nuclear and clean coal. A vital link in the chain that will bring more than 100 million Indians out of energy poverty is the Carmichael mine in Queensland. Our clean coal will be used in modern generators in India to provide cheap electricity, with lower emissions. The alternative, if the Greens were successful, would be dirty coal from another country.

I will be visiting Mr Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani Group, in India next week to deliver thousands of messages of support from people in my electorate—people who want to see the job-creating Carmichael mine go ahead, as well as the expansion of the Abbot Point coal port and the connecting rail line that will open up the Galilee Basin. I will also impress upon Mr Adani the value of using the regional workforce and service industry to build and operate these projects. Mackay and Bowen, in particular, have the skilled and experienced workforce needed for the project as well as the infrastructure and services needed to support the Galilee Basin. Just as coal can be and will be sourced from elsewhere, so too can workers and services. But, with the support of the community, I want to ensure that Australia and North Queensland are seen as the best alternatives.