Sorry to disappoint you Dave BUT Oz is blessed with the cleanest coal there is (forget brown coal in Vic though) and these are much sought after overseas!!
So you really think that your "renewables" are clean? Nah - they are not. Do some research on the baggage they carry since manufacture. Agree though that they are much less than the fossils.
There is much debate on the cost of power generation. I have a simple message. Get rid of ALL subsidies on all forms of generation and give a Guvnut cast iron guarantee that no one will impose any restrictions on coal or any form of generation and, if they do, they will pay a penalty at penal rates. THEN see what form of generation is the cheapest!! My bet is that they will be coming from the rafters to invest in coal-fired power stations! AND BTW, you owe an apology - I did not say that power generated by coal is the cheapest.
If you build wall to wall coal-fired power stations and provide a guarantee then, IMO "sunshine", power intensive industry will be attracted to this country!!
