Queensland Parliament must reject Greens’ anti-resources, anti-jobs bill, says QRC

In a joint submission with the Queensland Mining and Energy Division of the CFMEU, the QRC has identified the deep flaws in the Mineral Resources (Galilee Basin) Amendment Bill (Qld), which is currently being assessed by a Parliamentary Committee.

“This is the Greens’ anti-resources tantrum 2.0,” QRC Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane said.

“Much like the similarly flawed bill before the Senate in the Federal Parliament, this proposal is counterproductive and counter to common sense.

“Not only would it fail to have any impact on changing global temperatures – its stated intention – but its anti-resources agenda would also risk the jobs of the 316 000 Queenslanders who work in the industry and leave the Queensland budget in tatters.

“There is a greater responsibility on the Queensland Parliament to emphatically reject this bill, given the State’s direct role in regulating and assessing resources projects.

“All Queensland resources projects go through a rigorous assessment process to balance economic, environmental and social impacts. This process includes extensive stakeholder consultation and public feedback.

“It is a process that serves Queensland well and ensures an ongoing pipeline of investment.

“Figures from the Office of the Chief Economist’s December update showed that if the six major coal projects in the Galilee Basin were to proceed they would create 13 900 construction jobs and 12 803 jobs during operations.

“While anti-coal activists sneer at these jobs, they are an opportunity that regional Queenslanders are ready to grasp, especially given mining jobs are typically high skilled and high paying.

“The global demand for coal is strong, and coal is forecast to remain at about 40% of total power generation in the Asia Pacific by the year 2040 under a scenario modelled by the International Energy Agency.

“If the Greens’ bid to ban coal in Queensland was successful that would simply mean the demand for coal would be met from other countries with lower quality coal, which would in turn lead to higher emissions. Meanwhile, Queenslanders would miss out on the returns from royalty taxes which pay for teachers, nurses and police.

“Without royalty taxes from the resources industry, the Queensland budget would be in the red to the tune of AUS$4.6 billion.

“There is no magic source of money in Queensland. The budget depends upon investment and production in the resources industry to fund new projects whether they be roads, schools or hospitals, or even to fund the Greens’ own proposal for a Queensland Public Infrastructure Bank.

“The bill proposes to rip up existing mining leases in the Galilee Basin. Not only would this trash Queensland’s reputation as a reliable place to invest, but it should send a chill through every industry in Queensland.

“If the Greens are successful in destroying one lawful, responsible and regulated industry, they’ll simply shift their sights to the next target.

“The Queensland resources industry is responsible and makes best use of planning and technology to ensure long-term sustainability for the environment. It works co-operatively with other sectors such as agriculture and tourism.

“Climate change is a global challenge and the resources industry is committed to being part of a the global solution, including through advances in technology, greater energy efficiency and supplying the high quality, low emissions resources that displace higher emissions products.

“This bill is the standard folly from the Greens, who have always shown a reckless disregard for jobs and regional communities. The onus is on the rest of the Queensland Parliament to stand up for Queensland jobs and prosperity by emphatically ruling out this legislation and the ideas it proposes.”

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/mining/07022019/queensland-parliament-must-reject-greens-anti-resources-anti-jobs-bill-says-qrc/