lolNewminister says coal may remain King for decades under Labor’s watch - TheAustralian
ResourcesMinister Madeleine King has vowed never to put a limit on how much coalAustralia will export, saying it is possible Australia could be sending theresource to Asian trading partners past 2050. The West Australian cabinetminister said the Albanese government would not negotiate with the Greens overthe minor party’s push to end coal and gas development, saying every Labor MPunderstood the importance of the industry. Ms King said she was not concernedher role of championing the coal and gas sectors had become more difficultinternally, despite the growing threat to inner city seats from the Greens andan election result which showed climate change action had become a morepressing concern for voters. “Not at all because the party acknowledges therole of these industries,” Ms King told The Weekend Australian. “There is not a(Labor) member that doesn’t understand that it is the resources industry thatis the backbone of the economy. “It is always a contested place, and I getthat, but the main thing is we are committed to net-zero emissions by 2050,most of the country is, the community is, the mining and resources industrycertainly is.” With the Coalition accusing Labor of pretending to back the coalsector before the election to prevent losing seats in the NSW Hunter Valley, MsKing used her first week in as a minister to declare her support for theindustry would never waver. “Absolutely, 100 per cent, I support the coalindustry,” she said. “NSW was built on coalmining. It is a deep tradition andit is really good, high quality coal compared to coal from other countries. Sothat is important to recognise. “It supports lots of jobs and lots ofcommunities. That is really important for people to acknowledge. But theindustry itself knows there are challenges around net-zero emissions needs andthey are seeking to address that themselves.” Ms King took over the resourcesportfolio last year from former Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon, who used theportfolio to wage a high-profile campaign to improve the party’s standing amongblue-collar workers.
