QMEB ยป Bill Shorten must push Queensland to support mining says industry
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Bill Shorten must push Queensland to support mining says industry

Bill Shorten at McArthur River Mine in NT
Bill Shorten at Glencore's McArthur River Mine in the Northern Territory

A man who could become Australia’s next prime minister should lobby the Queensland Government to support mining in the Galilee Basin, an industry group has urged.

The Coal Council of Australia (CCA) believes if Labor Opposition Leader Bill Shorten (pictured at Glencore’s McArthur River Mine) wins the federal election on May 18 he should do everything in his power as Prime Minister to stop the State Government from stalling Adani Australia’s $21 billion Carmichael Coal Project.

CCA is accusing the State Government of manipulating environmental approval processes to delay the mega mine and “betray” communities that want the project to proceed across central and northern Queensland.

“The stalling tactics by the Queensland Labor government reflects poorly on Australia and Queensland as an investment destination and, in the case of mining investment, this can be directed to other countries,” CCA chief executive Greg Evans said in a public statement. “It shows that where a concerted activist campaign is waged government will cower to those interests.”

Since incumbent Liberal PM Scott Morrison and Federal Resources Minister Matt Canavan have already supported the coal industry and Carmichael mine, Evans said the onus is on Labor to follow suit “without qualification”.

“Australia has the opportunity to participate in an unprecedented expansion for coal demand from Asia in the next decade of an additional 500 million tonnes annually by 2030,” Evans said. “If we capture just 20 percent of this increase this will represent a major economic dividend, unfortunately, Green and Labor policies are working to frustrate this benefit to the detriment of the working men and women of Queensland.”

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