Election 2022: Don’t trust ALP with mining boom, says Scott Morrison

Scott Morrison will move to lock in support from mining communities, warning voters that Labor would hold back the booming resources sector.

Anthony Albanese on the hustings in Brisbane on Monday. Picture: Toby Zerna

Scott Morrison will move to lock in support from mining communities and outline his plan to secure long-term iron ore, coal, gas, gold, critical minerals and hydrogen production, warning voters that Labor would hold back the booming resources sector.

After Anthony Albanese declared he would back new coal mega-mines if they “stack up environmentally and commercially”, the Prime Minister will lay down an election challenge to Labor on mining and carbon taxes in a speech on Tuesday.

With the Coalition and Labor fighting to win mining electorates in central and north Queensland, the NSW Hunter region and Western Australia, Mr Morrison will seize on the Opposition Leader’s historic support for a price on carbon and mining tax.

“If the Coalition is returned at the forthcoming election, I can ­assure you there will be no mining tax. There will be no carbon tax. And there will be no adverse changes to fuel tax credit arrangements,” Mr Morrison will tell the WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy.

“Our government has a plan for an even stronger resources sector. Now is not the time to risk our $2.1 trillion economy with someone who doesn’t understand our economy, let alone having a plan for it and cannot stand up to the Greens, who want to shut you down.”

Campaigning in Queensland on Monday, Mr Albanese said Labor would respect federal ­approval processes for three new coal mega-mines planned for the Galilee Basin.

Seeking to win back voters in resources electorates who abandoned the ALP at the 2019 election over its position on the Adani coalmine, the Opposition Leader said “Labor’s position on this is very clear”.

“You have appropriate environmental approvals and if coalmines stack up environmentally, and then commercially, which is the decision for the companies, then they get approved, and then Labor would welcome any jobs that would be created from that,” Mr Albanese said.

“If it goes through the environmental approval process that’s ­established under the … federal legislation, then it would be ­approved.”

With Mr Morrison on the hustings in Perth, Mr Albanese will ­remain in Queensland ahead of Wednesday’s first leaders’ debate in Brisbane and announce a $38m funding boost for veterans to support disaster relief, helping Dis­aster Relief Australia recruit another 5200 former Australian Defence Force personnel.

Labor’s pursuit of mining votes, which could impact on support in inner-city seats, comes as Greens leader Adam Bandt on Monday reiterated his demand that Mr ­Albanese block “new coal and gas projects”.

“Liberal and Labor say they care about the climate crisis but talk is cheap. If you open new coalmines, you’re not serious about ­climate. Only the Greens in balance of power can halt these projects,” Mr Bandt said.

In his speech, Mr Morrison will tell miners that the Coalition would cut red tape, upskill workers and increase the resources sector, including emerging critical minerals and hydrogen industries.

“We are undertaking nation-shaping transformational investments that will ensure our regions remain powerhouses of our nation – securing the future of great mining regions like the Hunter in NSW, the NT, central and north Queensland, and, of course, the Pilbara in WA,” he will say.

“Based on the strong performance of industry pillars like iron ore, gold, coal and gas, resource ­exports are expected to reach a ­record $425bn this financial year. That’s almost two-thirds of Australia’s forecast exports of goods and services.

“Events in Europe remind us starkly of the importance of ­energy security to national economic resilience. And why it would be reckless in the extreme for Australia to relinquish our traditional energy advantage in gas and coal, even as we invest in significantly lowering emissions and clean energy technology in coming decades.”

The Prime Minister will say the world “wants our energy resources” and the Coalition will ensure Australia remains a ­“reliable, ­stable and competitive supplier, just as we will be a reliable supplier of iron ore, base metals and other resource commodities”.

While Labor has ruled out a deal with the Greens to form government, Queensland LNP senator Matt Canavan said “it is much easier to believe in the resurrection of Christ than a promise from a ­political party ahead of an election”.

“If the Greens hold balance of power, they will push for the coalmining industry to shut down and from what we have seen over the past week, I don’t have any confidence Anthony Albanese has the strength or authority to stand against them,” he said. “You very well may see a situation when the pressure comes on, what Anthony Albanese says today is a promise he will break ­tomorrow if he needs Greens support to form government or pass legislation.”

Labor’s Queensland resources spokesman, Murray Watt, said coal would remain part of Australia’s energy mix for a long time and exported for as long as it had a market.

“What I am focused on is making sure we stop the casualisation of coalmining jobs that Matt Canavan and the LNP have delivered over the past 10 years,” Senator Watt said.

Senator Canavan, a former ­resources minister, said “you can always find a way to weaponise environmental regulation”.

“The implementation of our environmental laws are not some dispassionate, independent exercise. They do require judgment and they do require a level of courage at times to stand up to bullies in the green movement,” he said.

Additional reporting: Lydia Lynch