Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Di Natale wasn't very nimble in terms of hearing the concluding part of the answer I gave to the earlier question as to the role Australian coal plays in energy production elsewhere in the world. If it weren't Australian coal, it would quite likely be coal from other nations that involve higher levels of emissions output. Senator Di Natale, you have to recognise that so long as countries are burning coal, Australia's coal with lower levels of emissions is a better option for those countries. That's why it's important that our industry continues to play a clear role.

What matters in reducing emissions worldwide are the commitments countries make and whether or not they're met. Australia has a proud record of making commitments and of meeting those commitments. That's what we've done and that's what we'll continue to do. In terms of transformation of the energy market in Australia, I referenced Snowy Hydro before as one of our government's forward-leaning plans, which stands in contrast to the often-cited opinions of former Senator Bob Brown. (Time expired)