Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Waters for that question. I understand she feels strongly about this particular issue but, as I have said on so many occasions, I suspect that we have to agree to disagree because I happen to think that coal does have a very strong future. I happen to believe that coal will continue to be an important part of our energy mix in future. I happen to believe that coal will continue to provide an opportunity for Australia and people across the world to generate economic growth and to, of course, be part of lifting communities across the world out of poverty and to higher living standards.

I see Senator Waters shaking her head but I do remember that I have shared this with the chamber before. I have come across—courtesy of the Leader of the Government in the Senate—an article in the Hobart Mercury. Here it is. The headline is 'Coal fired power best option'. Guess who said that? His name at the time was Dr Bob Browne. Dr Bob Browne was chaining himself to trees, trying to stop the development of the Franklin Dam in Tasmania. Here he was saying to us, 'Give us more coal. Please give us more coal. Don't give us this dam. Give us coal.' I agreed with Dr Bob Browne before he became Senator Bob Browne. I agree that coal of course has to be an important part of our energy mix in the future. Anybody who thinks that it will not be so—I cannot find the words in my limited English linguistic capacity for how to best describe that. Senator Waters, you go to your voters and tell them you want to eliminate coal. We will go to the people of Australia and say that we believe coal is an important part of our economy for the future. Let us see what the Australian people decide. (Time expired)