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

Thank you for that question. The latest coal-fired power technologies are making advances and are being rolled out right across our world—most especially in our region. We often say that we are part of the Asia-Pacific region. Well, if we are truly part of it, we should be making sure we look in our region to what solutions are being found there. Across the world there are more than 700 high-efficiency, low-emissions coal-fired power plants.

Senator Hanson-Young interjecting—

There are a huge number of coal-fired power plants—there are more than 200 being constructed right now in the world. This represents more than 100 Hazelwood coal-fired power stations. We have all heard about Hazelwood and its importance; more than 100 of them are being built right across the world. This shows that the world is still looking to coal for a cheap and affordable source of power. It is something we should also consider as part of our energy mix, and it is a good thing that the world is doing this, because it is such an important part of our economy and our prosperity in this country.