‘Deeply troubling’: Adani’s stunning hit at Labor’s coal mine stumble

Labor has been accused of saying one thing to mining communities and another to the rest of Australia, with Adani throwing down the gauntlet to political parties.

Labor has been accused of again saying one thing to coalmining communities and another to the rest of Australia, as mining giant Adani lashed out over “deeply troubling” mixed messaging on its emissions reduction scheme.

In a stunning election intervention, Adani CEO Lucas Dow said coal miners deserved to know if political parties “truly supported” the sector or if they would “levy taxes that will cripple the industry” and cost regional jobs.

It accused “some politicians” of saying one thing in the regions and another in the city after Labor admitted its emissions reduction scheme will apply to coal mines, just days after one of its mining region MPs insisted “not a single Australian coal mine will be impacted”.

The policy stumble was reminiscent the party’s 2019 campaign, where the then opposition leader Bill Shorten was caught saying he did not support the Adani coalmine in one state while telling Central Queensland communities it could go ahead if it stacked up.

But Labor climate and energy spokesman Chris Bowen said Australian coalmines would not face “greater constraints” than their overseas competitors and the party had never claimed coalmines would be exempted from the policy.

Labor’s plan to reduce emissions by 43 per cent by 2030 includes using a “safeguard mechanism” to see the nation’s 215 biggest emitters progressively lower or offset their emissions.

Adani Australia CEO Lucas Dow. Picture: Caitlan Charles

Emissions-intensive, trade-exposed industries would have “tailored treatments” to put them on a level playing field with overseas competitors.

Labor’s climate change and energy spokesman Chris Bowen confirmed on Sunday that coalmines would be captured by the party’s policy.

“Yes (it applies to coalmines). The Clean Energy Regulator will work with each facility, each of the 215 facilities, and say all right, what’s the available technology that you can have to reduce emissions and what are your competitors facing around the world and what’s a sensible pathway for you to net zero and then the facilities,” he said.

But on Friday, Labor Member for Shortland Pat Conroy told the Australian Financial Review: “Not a single Australian coalmine will be impacted by our safeguards mechanism because their international competitors don’t face the requirement to reduce emissions.”

Mr Conroy took to social media yesterday evening to clarify that coalmines will not be “impacted by a greater constraint than their competitors overseas” and that a Labor government would not “hang them out to dry as global markets change”.

Adani’s Mr Dow said regional communities in Central and North Queensland, as well as the Hunter Valley, deserved to know if politicians and political parties “truly support” the coalmining sector.

“When I’m out and about in regional Queensland people tell me over and over that they are sick to death of politicians saying one thing about coal in the regions and another in the city,” he said.

“Our industry welcomed Pat Conroy’s comments on Friday, but subsequent comments from Richard Marles and Chris Bowen should be deeply troubling for coalminers, their families and the communities they support, because both Mr Marles and Mr Bowen have been unable to state clearly whether or not they intend to levy taxes that will cripple the industry and cost regional jobs.”

Opposition spokesman for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

Adani became a flashpoint of the 2019 election when Bob Brown led a protest convoy into Central Queensland, with a Labor review of its failed campaign later finding it lost vital support in coal communities.

Minerals Council of Australia CEO Tania Constable said they were examining impacts on all mining facilities and expected political parties would consult with industries that would be affected by changes to the safeguard mechanism.

LNP senator Matt Canavan said Labor had been caught lying to coal communities.

“They’ve been running around telling them that their new carbon tax won’t apply to coalmines,” he said.

“People know that their jobs just can’t be trusted with a Labor-Greens government.”

Mr Bowen said the exact same 215 facilities were covered by both the Government’s existing safeguard mechanism and Labor policy which includes changes recommended by the Business Council of Australia.

“The Government is lying when they say otherwise,” he said.

“Facilities won’t face greater constraints than their competitors overseas.”

Mr Bowen said the Coalition was selling “snake oil” with promises of coal-fired power stations.

“(Prime Minister Scott) Morrison is either lying in Collinsville or lying in Kooyong,” he said.

“Instead of planning for the future and investing in the regions, they are back to their old scare campaigns.”