Premier David Crisafulli outlines government’s new approach to coal industry

Queensland’s coal industry can expect a smoother approvals process and no policy surprises Premier David Crisafulli has vowed — in exchange for the LNP government sticking to the existing controversial royalties regime.

Future Townsville 2025 at the Ville Resort Casino. Courier Mail Editor Chris Jones with Premier David Crisafulli. Picture: Evan Morgan

Queensland’s coal industry can expect a smoother approvals process and no policy surprises Premier David Crisafulli has vowed — in exchange for the LNP government sticking to the existing controversial royalties regime.

Mr Crisafulli, speaking at the Townsville Bulletin’s Future Townsville event, stridently supported the region’s industry for providing the most “environmentally sustainable” coal on the market.

He said a government led by him could promise the industry two things — the ability to get approvals in a “timely fashion” and policy certainty.

“You’re not going to wake up one day and the government wanting to whack you again,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“We can offer you the ability to get approvals in a timely fashion, to not have the government breathing down your neck every minute of the day.”

But the controversial coal royalty regime put in place by the former Labor government — and enshrined in law — will remain.

The LNP had repeatedly promised to not make any changes to revenue-raising coal royalties in the first term of government.

Labor’s controversial decision to effectively tax coal super profits helped rake in $15.3bn in revenue in 2022/23 — five times more than expected — with the royalties from coal dropping to $5.8bn in 2024/25 according to the mid-year budget update.

Future Townsville 2025 at the Ville Resort Casino. Courier Mail Editor Chris Jones with Premier David Crisafulli. Picture: Evan Morgan

But the mining sector, led by the Queensland Resources Council, has repeatedly warned the extra tax puts future investment at risk.

Mr Crisafulli said the royalties change — made without proper consultation with the mining industry — significantly impacted Queensland’s standing with trading partners like Japan and the LNP had been working to restore confidence.

“I believe in the mining industry. I want to continue to extract coal from this part of the world,” he said.

“It’s the cleanest, the workers who go there get paid the most, it is the most environmentally sustainable.

“To shut down our coal industry would be doing nothing other than driving competitors into the arms of people who won’t do the same thing.”

Future Townsville 2025 at the Ville Resort Casino. Premier David Crisafulli. Picture: Evan Morgan

Queensland Resources Council chief executive Janette Hewson, at the Future Townsville event, said she was keen to work with the state government to unlock economic opportunities.

“Let’s unlock the economic opportunities. We are competing against countries that don’t have the same energy costs, labour costs … The supply chain is different,” she said.

Bravus chief operating office Mick Crowe said billions of people is less developed countries were demanding more electricity and coal would “play a role in that”.

Mr Crisafulli also told the more than 200 people in attendance at the Future Townsville event that the future of the mega Copperstring transmission project was secure under the LNP, with about $30m to be released as part of next week’s budget to progress the powerline.

Originally published as Premier David Crisafulli outlines government’s new approach to coal industry