Editorial: Qld coal communities deserve honesty on future approvals

Queensland’s future with coal is not a binary choice between “stop coal now” and “digging it all up”. It is somewhere in the middle, writes the editor.

The debate on the future of coal – and of Queensland’s mining regions by extension – has progressed significantly in the past three years.

Talk of new hydrogen-based industries, of “decarbonising” economies and a measured move away from thermal coal is palatable now, when it was not in 2019.

But the key word here is “measured”, and the fact remains that coal, thermal and metallurgical, is a major export for Queensland.

It keeps the state working and earning, and it’s not going away anytime soon.

North Queensland peak industry bodies such as Townsville Enterprise are on the money when they say that while the economy needs to diversify, ultimately it will be the market that will determine when coal’s day is up.

The Greens have vowed to stop any new coal and gas projects from starting if they hold the balance of power, although Labor has said it won’t form a coalition with them.

So too have some “teal” independents in leafy inner-city electorates in Sydney and Melbourne. This includes Dr Monique Ryan in Kooyong in Victoria, who is a very real chance of knocking off Treasurer Josh Frydenberg.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday left the door open to doing a deal with the independents to form government.

The 2019 election campaign showed a lot of nuance is dropped from the conversation on climate and the economy when Queenslanders feel their economic futures – aka their jobs – are put at risk.

Greens icon Bob Brown’s “climate convoy” made sure of that.

Then, the debate around the Adani mine’s approval timelines snowballed into a desperate conversation about the future of North Queensland’s mining towns and of the region’s economic identity.

This current push from the Greens and southern state Independents runs the risk of creating a repeat of three years ago.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese yesterday in effect sidestepped questions about his support for coal, stating that Labor would approve mines if they stacked up environmentally.

In 2022, this “very clear” Labor position from Mr Albanese was seen as an endorsement of the party’s support for coal while in 2019 the exact same phrase by Bill Shorten evoked criticism of “weasel words”.

It’s easy for politicians to say projects can go ahead if they hit all the environmental benchmarks – because they set them.

Applause on Mr Albanese’s current position on coal overlooks the problems Adani experienced – the “shifting goalposts” the company dealt with to get the Carmichael project up in the Galilee Basin.

The real question is if Labor can commit to ensuring mining companies going through the approval process can expect the current rules to remain – or will things get a lot harder?

Queensland’s future with coal is not a binary choice between “stop coal now” and “digging it all up”. It is somewhere in the middle.

Voters in the state’s regions and mining centres are prepared to have a conversation about their futures outside the resource, as long as politicians don’t forget it is, ultimately, a sensitive debate about their lives and livelihoods.

NOT BACK TO NORMAL YET

These school holidays and the Easter weekend felt like we were finally back to normal.

Restaurants, pubs and cafes were packed.

There were queues at airports as relatives visited and Queenslanders took off for quick trips.

And as usual the Bruce Highway was a car park as campers headed home on Monday.

But we are not there yet.

Every day, about 5000 international tourists are arriving at Brisbane Airport.

Before the pandemic, that number was closer to 20,000.

Brisbane Airport Corporation’s Rachel Crowley said it may take years to get arrival numbers back to pre-pandemic levels.

They are negotiating with international carriers to return to Queensland.

The state government is rolling out international tourism campaigns, starting with New Zealand.

They need to push as hard as possible to get the message out that we are open for business again.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here

Originally published as Editorial: Qld coal communities deserve honesty on future approvals