collaboration ... innovation and bhp, page-26

Most of the political drive for “clean coal” is to maintain the existing arrangement of employing lots of coal miners and other people to dig it up and export it. You cannot export UCG unless you are talking about exporting the IP, maybe the Syngas or electricity to another state. There will be lots of money thrown at developing a solution that can prevent carbon emissions but can still maintain coal exports for Australia and keep lots of coal miners, and all the others that depend on the coal industry, employed.

As for wider application of UCG, not all coal fields will be/are suitable for UCG.