Coal king Nick Jorss on a roll

Queensland mining king Nick Jorss has certainly hit the ground running with his new action group Coal Australia now boasting almost 40,000 supporters.

Coal Australia founder Nick Jorss

Queensland mining king Nick Jorss has certainly hit the ground running with his new action group Coal Australia now boasting almost 40,000 supporters.

The Bowen Coking Coal executive chairman says since Coal Australia was launched last August it has helped shifted the narrative about the industry, reframed coal as pivotal to Australia’s prosperity, and begun to “restore pride in the hardworking communities and people who power our nation.”

Jorss says the body has increased its grassroots support to almost 40,000 people, united major producers and associated companies to create a strong, cohesive industry voice and held townhalls and events across Queensland and New South Wales.

“When we launched, we faced an industry under siege, political leaders demonising a critical industry that underwrites so much of Australia’s prosperity, and a media landscape determined to downplay and criticise the vital role coal plays in powering our economy,” says Jorss.

Nick Jorss says support for coal sector growing.

“In response, we’ve built a movement that understands the challenges everyday Australians face, like the rising cost of living, and has a clear plan to fight back.”

He says more community meetings were planned in the lead up to the federal election, with a big gathering of about 800 people planned in Brisbane in a couple of months.

Jorss say the global debate around energy policy was shifting to the realisation that reliable base load power was needed even with the move to renewables.

City Beat readers will recall Jorss as head of Stanmore Coal a decade ago paid a dollar for the mothballed Isaac Plains coal mine in 2015 before transforming into an billion-dollar operation employing hundreds of workers.

Harvard bound

Kudos to Sprint Ventures managing director Georgia Barkell who is jetting off to the US to study at the prestigious Harvard Business School executive education program.

Barkell was awarded one of the scholarships created by the Australian-based Harvard alumni to support leaders in entrepreneurship and investment and will join the private equity and venture capital course from March 5–8. The course is designed to deepen expertise in investment strategies and global growth opportunities.

Georgia Barkell is bound for Harvard.

Barkell, who heads the Queensland-based fund that invests in start-ups involved in climate change, AI and health, says that solving the biggest global macroeconomic issues will have the greatest impact and return.

Sprint’s investments include Umps, an aged care platform enabling elderly loved ones to age at home for longer, and Vapar, an AI-powered water software for pipeline maintenance, optimising repairs while reducing environmental impact. The Harvard scholarships aim to support Australian leaders in building global networks and relationships.

Ship ahoy

A fleet of Riviera luxury motor yachts, valued at more than $45 million, has been driven on to a semisubmersible barge in the Port of Brisbane, ahead of its more than 8000 nautical mile voyage to Mexico and the United States.

A total of 10 Rivieras utilised the unique DYT Yacht Transport float-on/float off method rather than being craned, in the traditional manner, onto a container ship to be positioned either below deck, or among containers on top.

Four of the motor yachts will be floated off the ship in Ensenada in Mexico where they will be driven north to their final destinations in California. The remaining six yachts will be offloaded in Port Everglades, the cruise port in Fort Lauderdale in Florida. Riviera manufacturing director Kyle Davison says it’s an efficient way of exporting a significant number of boats internationally.

Riviera yachts being loaded at Port of Brisbane

Originally published as Coal king Nick Jorss on a roll