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

Thank you, Mr President. I was going on to also dispute Senator Di Natale's opinion that this project would be climate destroying. We are lucky in this country and should be proud that we have some of the highest quality coals in the world. The rest of the world will be using coal-fired power for many, many years to come. The more energy intensive, the higher quality the coal that they use and the fewer emissions there will be. So it is a good thing for the world if we, as a country, can develop our coal industry and replace the coals that are used from other countries, which are much lower quality—and it is widely accepted that the coal in India, in particular, is of lower quality than the coal that Adani will mine here in Queensland. So that is a good thing for the environment.

I also think the Senate should know that Adani are not new to Australia. They are a company that have operated here now for six years. They have operated the Abbot Point Coal Terminal, just near Bowen, in Queensland. If the allegations and suspicions that Senator Di Natale is making are true, it would be apparent in their corporate behaviour over the six years, you would think. I am not aware of any allegations for investigation into that matter. (Time expired)