Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment, Senator Cormann. I refer to the Prime Minister's recent claim that 'coal is good for humanity'.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Kick your leather shoes off—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator O'Sullivan.

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I note that the Indian Conservation Action Trust has calculated that pollution from coal kills between 80,000 and 115,000 people in India every year, that 300 million poor Indians could not afford Australian coal and that many are not connected to the grid, anyway, and what is needed is distributed renewable energy. When will the government accept that coal is not good for humanity, but rather is good for the private profits of the big mining donors to the Liberal Party.

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

I very much thank Senator Waters for that question. Let me say very slowly for the benefit of Senator Waters and for the benefit of the Senate: coal is good. It is at the heart of our economic prosperity here in Australia and around the world. It has helped lift living standards for people right across the world. It will continue to help lift living standards around the world.

The Labor Party wants us to all move back into a cave and not move. The Labor Party does not believe in progress.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Greens.

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

Sorry, the Greens. I apologise.

Honourable senators interjecting—

My sincere apologies. Only half of the Labor Party and the Greens do not believe in progress. Half of the Labor Party and the Greens want us to move back into a cave and not do anything. On this side of the chamber, and perhaps some people on the Labor side of the chamber, we actually believe in policies to drive stronger economic growth. We believe it is a good thing for people to have the opportunity to get ahead. We believe it is a good thing for people across Australia to be able to aspire to better opportunities and to increased prosperity into the future. The policies pursued by this government are very much a reflection of that. We believe that coal is good and will continue to have a central part in driving economic growth in the future. That is why we got rid of the Labor/Greens carbon tax. We got rid of this impost on households and businesses across Australia that was making Australia less competitive without achieving any beneficial environmental outcomes. I very much thank Senator Waters for that question. I look forward to the supplementary question. (Time expired)

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. The Australian Academy of Science has today slammed the government's Reef 2050 Plan as inadequate to protect the Great Barrier Reef, because it represents business as usual on coal ports and because it fails to address climate change. When will this government start listening to the science on climate change and on the reef instead of approving mega coal mines in the Galilee Basin and treating the reef simply as a highway for coal ships.

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

As I indicated to the Senate in response to the primary question, coal is good. I know that we on this side of the chamber are not alone in that view. We do know that there is somebody out of Tasmania who shares our view. You might ask who that is. Well, it is none other than Dr Bob Brown, who, as the director of the Tasmanian Wilderness Society, said that coal-fired thermal was 'the best centralised option we have'. I could not have put it better myself.

So the Greens can come in here again and again and say that we should stop using coal, but I will refer Senator Waters back to what Dr Bob Brown said when he was the director of the Tasmanian Wilderness Society, and what I would say— (Time expired)

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. The government is referring to 30-year-old newspaper articles rather than the Academy of Science. That kind of is the point.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order on my right. Senator Bernardi.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He is ignoring you, Mr President!

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He would not be the first senator to ignore me, Senator Collins! Senator Waters has the call.

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I refer to the announcement today from investment bank Citi that they will not be financing the Abbot Point coal port expansion in the Great Barrier Reef. In this they join Deutsche Bank, HSBC—

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is nowhere near the Great Barrier Reef. Tell the truth—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Macdonald—

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Credit Agricole, Barclays and the Royal Bank of Scotland. Given the risks to the reef and the rest of it becoming a stranded asset, will you rule out putting taxpayers money into the Abbot Point coal port expansion?

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

The first point I would make is that I am not responsible for the decisions that are made by individual investment banks when it comes to the investments they may or may not choose to pursue. That is a matter for them. What I can say is that we can actually walk and chew gum at the same time. We can pursue economic growth in a way that is environmentally responsible. Minister Hunt has worked very hard to ensure that we have strong environmental protections at that same time as pursuing a very important economic growth opportunity for Australia. For Queensland and for Australia it is an opportunity of national significance. The previous government was looking at providing approvals there. It is fair to say that Minister Hunt has done an outstanding job in appropriately balancing environmental considerations with the need to pursue—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pause the clock.

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order on relevance. I asked a specific question—will the government finance the Abbot Point expansion given that the investment banks are abandoning it? I have not had a response and there are only four seconds to go.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Waters. There was a little bit more to your question than that. Minister, you have four seconds remaining to answer the question.

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

Thank you, Mr President. I believe I was directly relevant to the question. If there is anything that Minister Hunt wishes to add to the answer, I will ask him— (Time expired)