Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, and also in the name of Senator Macdonald, move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) a report commissioned by the Minerals Council of Australia, released in July 2017, states a high efficiency, low emission (HELE) coal-fired plant could cost less to build than what taxpayers spend on subsidies for renewables,

(ii) as old coal generators retire, baseload power sources will need to be replaced with reliable and affordable supply,

(iii) with gas prices likely to remain high, coal is an appropriate low cost option,

(iv) there are 63 countries worldwide actively constructing or expanding coal-fired power generation capacity, and

(v) coal remains a pillar of the Queensland economy – growth in coal royalties enabled the Queensland Government to report a $2.8 billion surplus for 2016-17, the highest in a decade; and

(b) affirms its commitment to finding low cost and reliable power sources for the people of North Queensland.

Question agreed to.