George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Di Natale, I know that there are different views about the desirability of developing the Adani mine. I always thought you knew more about the environment than I did, but you don't seem to be acknowledging that the thermal coal in the Galilee Basin in Queensland is the lowest-emissions coal that is winnable virtually anywhere in the world. If India's demand for coal is not met by the low-emissions thermal coal available from the Galilee Basin, it will be sourced from higher-emissions coal in Indonesia and South-East Asia and from other sources. Senator Di Natale, I tell you what there is no division of opinion about on my side of politics, and that is the desirability of sourcing India's coal supply from a low-emissions coal source, thermal coal, not just for environmental reasons but also for restoring economic prosperity to Central Queensland and North Queensland with the 10,000 new full-time jobs that that project will create. (Time expired)