Emissions targets will be met even if coal station goes ahead: PM

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Australia could still meet its Paris emissions reduction targets even if a controversial Queensland power station is built.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Australia could still meet its Paris emissions reduction targets even if a controversial Queensland coal power station goes ahead.

Mr Morrison would not make further commitments to the proposed Collinsville coal-fired power station, saying the government had delivered its promised funding for the feasibility study into the project .

“The project you’re talking about in the grand scale of energy production is not very big,” Mr Morrison said.

“I don’t think it will make an impact.”

Resources Minister Keith Pitt said the timing of the completion and release of the feasibility study is up to Shine Energy, the company behind the proposal.

While neither he nor Opposition leader Anthony Albanese have visited a coal mine in their roles, Mr Morrison said he would, but hasn’t had the opportunity yet.

“If the opportunity presents itself I will happily take that up,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Morrison said the damage to the Australian economy would have been catastrophic if the resources sector was halted by COVID.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison during a visit to South32 Cannington Mine in McKinlay. Picture: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

Speaking during his Queensland tour on Wednesday, the PM also lashed out at reports mining students are being heckled at universities.

He made the comments as he toured the South32 Cannington silver, lead and zinc mine on day two of his Queensland blitz.

The miner’s chief operating officer told the Prime Minister that recruiting young workers to the industry was difficult, partially because young people going into mining at university were being “heckled”.

Mr Morrison said the attacks were misinformed.

“(Universities) are supposed to be a place of fact and science, not about sledging and misinformed heckling,” he said.

Me Morrison told workers on site much of the state’s economy was sustained outside the southeast and the sector had been vital during the COVID shut-down.

“If we skipped a beat with the mining industry last year, the consequences of that would have been catastrophic,” he said.

“It would have been like the NSW economy going down.”