Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science representing the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Minister, as climate change talks commenced in Bonn, a report released this week shows that global carbon emissions have risen in 2017 by two per cent on 2016 levels. It's a frightening development that threatens us and future generations. If that wasn't bad enough, diplomatic channels are now being used to try to secure funding for the jobs-destroying, reef-bleaching Adani project from China's National Development and Reform Commission.

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Di Natale, I think you may have addressed your question to the wrong minister.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's coming. If you wait, you'd actually—

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You addressed the question to Senator Cash, representing the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Senator Cash does not represent the minister for trade, I understand.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Who's representing the minister for trade at the moment?

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Brandis. Would you commence the question again, so Senator Brandis can hear it.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Apologies. My question is for the Attorney-General, representing the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Minister, climate change talks commenced in Bonn. We now know that global carbon emissions have risen in 2017 by two per cent. If that's not bad enough, the government's using diplomatic channels to try to secure funding for the jobs-destroying, reef-bleaching Adani project from China's National Development and Reform Commission. Did Mr Adani request that we seek funding from the Chinese government for that mine or was it done through the minister's own initiative?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Di Natale, I am not aware of what passed between Minister Ciobo or Australian ministers and Mr Adani, but what I can tell you, since you raised the subject of the Adani mine, is that the Australian government—and, for that matter, the LNP opposition in Queensland—is very committed to the development of the Adani mine because the Adani mine, on various estimates, is worth more than 10,000 full-time jobs to people in Central and Northern Queensland. If you want to find a point of difference between the two parties in the Queensland election on 25 November, you can't find a clearer point of difference than in their attitude to jobs. And you can't find anything more emblematic of those different attitudes to jobs than the fact that the LNP, led by Tim Nicholls, supports the Adani mine and the ALP, led by Ms Annastacia Palaszczuk, does not. In fact, Senator Di Natale, you may have noticed that there was a U-turn, a 180-degree turn, by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in the first week of the Queensland election campaign, when she turned around from her declared support of the Adani mine to saying that she would block the possibility of NAIF funding for the Adani mine.

So I'm glad you asked me about it, Senator Di Natale. I can tell you that, if there were to be an LNP government elected in Queensland, we will give every encouragement to the Adani mine because it is the right thing to open up the Galilee Basin, it's the right thing to build those rail lines and it's the right thing to bring 10,000 new jobs to Central and North Queensland—and only the LNP will do it.

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Di Natale, a supplementary question.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister, for confirming that the government's got the begging bowl out for the Chinese government and it's now acting as a middleman trying to find anyone reckless enough to finance this loss-making disaster. Can you, Minister, advise whether you have approached any other state owned enterprises or whether, indeed, there has been any interest in funding this mine that came out of September's strategic economic dialogue?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Di Natale, I'm not aware—when you say 'state owned enterprise', do you mean a Chinese state owned enterprise or any state owned enterprise?

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Any state owned.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm not aware that there has been an approach, but I am aware of this: there has been an approach by Adani to an Australian government agency—that is, the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, the NAIF—which is now being blocked by the Annastacia Palaszczuk. Under the terms of NAIF funding, it requires the support of the state government, and, in the first week of the Queensland election campaign, what did Annastacia Palaszczuk do? She pulled the rug out from under Adani's application for the northern Australia infrastructure funding and, in doing so, she stabbed in the back the 10,000 Central Queenslanders and North Queenslanders who stood to get a full-time job out of that project.

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Di Natale, a final supplementary question.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, the letter to the Chinese government says the Adani coalmine will be 'a major contributor to the environmental aspirations of the Asia-Pacific region'. Minister, why is the government ignoring our Pacific island neighbours, who actually are in our region, whose islands are shrinking underwater and who have also made it clear at Bonn that they stand with the Queensland community and with the Greens in opposing that climate-destroying, reef-killing coalmine?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Di Natale, I know that there are different views about the desirability of developing the Adani mine. I always thought you knew more about the environment than I did, but you don't seem to be acknowledging that the thermal coal in the Galilee Basin in Queensland is the lowest-emissions coal that is winnable virtually anywhere in the world. If India's demand for coal is not met by the low-emissions thermal coal available from the Galilee Basin, it will be sourced from higher-emissions coal in Indonesia and South-East Asia and from other sources. Senator Di Natale, I tell you what there is no division of opinion about on my side of politics, and that is the desirability of sourcing India's coal supply from a low-emissions coal source, thermal coal, not just for environmental reasons but also for restoring economic prosperity to Central Queensland and North Queensland with the 10,000 new full-time jobs that that project will create. (Time expired)