Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Minister for Resources and Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Macdonald for his supplementary question. We're not shy—and I know Senator Macdonald's not shy—so we support the coal sector in the state of Queensland. We support the need for coal-fired power in Australia to keep prices down for the Australian people, as these reports commissioned by Labor governments show. They were not commissioned by coalition governments. These reports were commissioned by a former Labor Treasurer and the current Queensland Labor government, and they clearly show that—guess what?—having more supply of power brings prices down. Having a cheap source of power like coal-fired power brings prices down for Australians, and that's what we are for. That's why we are not shy of backing it. I support the leader of the Liberal National Party in Queensland, who has said that he will seek to build a coal-fired power station in North Queensland, with the support of the private sector, that will help the development of North Queensland. We're backing their desires and their wants to have the same kinds of job opportunities as everywhere else in this country.