Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister representing the Prime Minister (Senator Abetz) to a question without notice asked by Senator Milne today relating to financial assistance for coal plants in developing countries.

What is shocking for the Australian community to know is that the Abbott government has instructed its officials overseas to oppose moves within the OECD's Export Credit Group when it is moving to try to curb financial assistance for coal plants in developing countries. Australia is in there saying, 'No, don't do that,' and blocking efforts by the OECD to reduce fossil fuel subsidies and coal plants in developing countries. What sort of a shocking outcome is that? Australia has again gone rogue in international fora, this time using its power to push coal in an era of climate change. It is so obvious that this is being done simply to prop up Australian coal exports. It is simple as that.

It is really interesting—and Senator Abetz fell absolutely into the trap in the question today. What he got up and did was use exactly the same lines as the Prime Minister, as the Treasurer, Mr Hockey, and as the Minister for the Environment, Greg Hunt, did, and all the lines are straight out of Burson-Marsteller, one of the biggest PR companies in the world, who pushed cigarettes into Asia for years in acting for the tobacco industry. They are now acting for Peabody Energy, an American based company that is one of the largest coal producers in the world, and they came up with this idea that they would push energy poverty as being the world's No. 1 human and environmental crisis—and guess what? Coal is the answer. The Prime Minister has clearly distributed this rubbish public relations material from Burson-Marsteller for Peabody Energy and pushed it, so it is now the talking point of cabinet. When I asked Senator Abetz he fell straight into it, jumping up and talking about energy poverty, which are the exact lines out of here, as indeed the Treasurer did last year when he stood up before the G20. He talked about his concern about global energy poverty and the need for coal. What is even worse is that the Treasurer, Joe Hockey, organised for Peabody coal to give a presentation at the G20 for them to push their 'Coal is good for humanity; coal is good for getting people out of poverty' lines.

Now we find they are doing it inside the OECD, and my question is: are they also doing it in negotiations with China over the new infrastructure bank? The investment mandate for that bank will be important. The World Bank is moving away from funding fossil fuel projects and the Asian Development Bank is the same. What we have ended up with now is that the OECD is moving to curb fossil fuel subsidies and stop the rollout of coal fired power plants in developing countries. Australia is getting desperate, blocking the OECD moves, and no doubt will be looking to the China infrastructure bank to see if they will allow money to be spent on coal fired power stations. Wouldn't that be a great thing? Australia joins up to an infrastructure bank that is going to use funds to roll out coal fired power stations—and guess what? Australia is a major exporter of coal into the region. It will be very interesting because China has taken a strong stand on coal, has capped coal imports into China and is massively going with renewables.

It is an extraordinary thing when you have a situation where it is 'Vote 1 Peabody Energy and cut out the middleman'—and I am referring here to the Abbott government. Why would you bother voting for the Liberal Party when you can vote straight for Peabody Energy and get it done? When I was first elected in Tasmania, the graffiti in Hobart was 'Vote 1 North Broken Hill and cut out the middleman'. That was referring to the then Liberal Premier of Tasmania, Robin Gray. Then we had 'Vote 1 Gunns and cut out the middleman'. That was referring to both Liberal and Labor premiers. Now we have 'Vote 1 Peabody Energy, vote 1 coal and cut out the middleman'. That is exactly where we are going in this country, where the Abbott government is the wholly owned subsidiary of the coal industry. How else could you possibly justify the Treasurer of Australia at the G20 organising for Peabody coal to give a presentation on coal developed by Burson-Marsteller, PR company? Their press release at the time cited the statistics for Australia. In their press release they actually cite how much coal Australia has to export.

So I would be very interested to know what engagement the Australian government has had with Burson-Marsteller and Peabody Energy, where the money has come from and who is talking to whom—because what is clear is that, every time you hear a minister, this is what they are quoting. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.