Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

At the request of Senator McDonald, I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) the resources industry is critical to the Queensland economy, contributing 1 in every 8 jobs in Queensland and $4.3 billion in royalties shared across the state of Queensland,

(ii) the New Acland coal mine has been seeking approvals for their Stage 3 expansion since 2007, which would extend the mine's life until 2031 and increase production from 5.2 million tonnes to 7.5 million tonnes per annum,

(iii) the New Acland coal mine is vital for the Oakey economy, currently employing 300 workers with dozens more servicing the needs of the mine site, and

(iv) recently, the mine has reduced its staff from 300 to 150, due to 12 years of delays in receiving the necessary approvals; and

(b) calls on the Queensland Government to not allow its approvals process to be delayed because of judicial activism.

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) | Link to this | Hansard source

This motion is about yet another new coalmine, and it seems to imply that perhaps judges are going to be the next target of the anti-protest laws of this administration, implying that somehow judicial activism should be silenced, which is sort of ironic considering the court just decided that the coalmine would be given a free pass on water impacts that every other new mine has to take into account. So I think the motion is somewhat misguided in several ways. I want to note that the New Acland coalmine has in fact been actively opposed by local farmers, who are terrified about the impacts on their water supply. Some friend of the farmer this government is! New Acland has also been found guilty of illegally drilling wells at 27 sites and was fined for that. The amount of that fine is, of course, dwarfed by the amount of donations made by the company to the state LNP administration at the time. I might also add that the former political adviser to the Queensland Premier is now a lobbyist for that mine. It's the revolving door between government and industry that is surely the more apposite issue. (Time expired)

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) | Link to this | Hansard source

Labor opposes the motion as it's factually inaccurate. The mine has not, at the current time, reduced staff from 300 to 150. This has only been foreshadowed at the current time. We do not believe that the Senate should be asking the Queensland government to interfere in a proper process, particularly when final orders resulting from the Full Court of Appeal have not been made and parties are being called to provide submissions. Labor also notes the Queensland government's ongoing support for the resources sector and that, over the past four years, the Palaszczuk government has facilitated more than $20 billion worth of resource reinvestment, which is supporting 7,000 jobs.

Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to make it clear that there are farmers who work at Acland who strongly support this mine going ahead and whose livelihoods depend upon Acland. It's very important for the community of Oakey and surrounding communities, very important for the farming industry and very important for coalmining and their workers. We support them.

Scott Ryan (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that Senator McDonald's motion be agreed to.