Bravus accuses state government of trying to kill coal industry

The company behind the controversial Carmichael mine has accused the state government of using royalty hikes to kill the state’s mining industry ‘to win a few votes in inner-city Brisbane’.

Bravus Mining has invited the Premier and Treasurer to visit its controversial Carmichael Mine amid an ongoing battle between the state government and industry over its royalty hikes.

In an unusual slapdown of the Palaszczuk government Bravus – formerly Adani – said the Palaszczuk government’s royalty rate increase was a “tax designed to kill the Queensland coal industry … in order to win a few votes in inner-city Brisbane”.

Treasurer Cameron Dick has repeatedly defended the hike, declaring Queenslanders must benefit from the record-high price of coal.

However, with the relationship between the Palaszczuk government and the mining sector at its lowest ebb, there are calls for political leaders to visit mines to better understand the economic contributions they provide.

Coal mining operations at the Carmichael mine. Picture: Cameron Laird

A spokesman for Bravus Mining and Resources said there was a “standing invitation” for elected representatives at all levels of government to visit its Carmichael Mine – which has become a flashpoint in the climate change debate.

“The Premier officially opened our headquarters in Townsville in June 2017 but has never visited Carmichael,” he said.

“We’d welcome a visit to our mine by the Premier and the Treasurer so they can see first-hand the project that paid more than $1bn to regional Queensland contractors and provided jobs for more than 2600 people when much of the state economy was crippled by Covid lockdowns.”

The Bravus spokesman said the Carmichael Mine would add billions of dollars to the state’s coffers for decades if Queensland’s policy settings and royalty regime “are stable and fair”.

“Unfortunately the new royalty rates appear to be a tax designed to kill the Queensland coal industry once and for all in order to win a few votes in inner-city Brisbane at the expense of jobs in the regions,” he said.

Mr Dick on Friday denied the war with the mining industry would affect the Palaszczuk government’s standing in regional Queensland.

“No, that’s not correct,” he said.

“There isn’t a war, we have a new coal royalty regime that will deliver for the people of our state.”

Treasurer Cameron Dick and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Earlier this week he noted the huge profits made by mining companies and declared the state’s coal industry was “in good health”.

“I do not begrudge these companies their windfall profits – they are entitled to reap their fair share, just as the people of Queensland are entitled to reap their fair share as well,” he said.

Queensland Resources Council chief executive Ian Macfarlane has argued the industry was not consulted on the royalty hike.

“We feel as though we’re under siege and the whole Queensland economy will suffer, but particularly regional communities,” he said.

“It was a one-way direction – he told us what was going to happen and didn’t listen to anything we said.

“That was the first sign to me things were changing.”

When asked if Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Mr Dick would visit mines in future, Mr Macfarlane said: “it’s hard to think that’s going to happen”.