Turnbull Joint Press Release with MacFarlane - Rudd's clean coal sham

The Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP
Leader of the Opposition (to 1 December 2009)

The Rudd Labor Government’s promises to support clean coal technology have been exposed as a sham. Labor has refused to provide ZeroGen, Australia’s only commercial clean coal project, with a level playing field on emissions permits – driving the Central Queensland venture to the brink of collapse.

“By refusing to allocate zero-cost permits to critical emerging technologies in its proposed emissions trading scheme (ETS), the Rudd Government has turned its back on ZeroGen’s carbon capture and storage (CCS) project,” Leader of the Opposition, Malcolm Turnbull, said.

“This unreasonable approach to what could be a breakthrough technology, combined with staffing cuts imposed by the Queensland Labor Government, prove the ALP is all spin and no action when it comes to clean coal.”

“Australia is the world’s largest coal exporter and there is therefore no single low emission technology of more importance to Australia than carbon capture and storage. The fastest growing emitters, China and India, are heavily dependent on coal and the world, consequently, has a vital interest in the successful development of carbon capture and storage.” Mr Turnbull said.

Shadow Minister for Energy and Resources, Ian Macfarlane, warned Labor’s lack of commitment to clean coal was endangering thousands of jobs in the coal industry.

“ZeroGen is the very project Kevin Rudd has been talking up as his international flagship to reduce coal-related emissions and secure the coal industry’s future. Yet his Government has not lifted a finger or spent one new dollar on technology to advance CCS in Australia,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“Labor forgets that without effective low emission technologies there will simply be no means to dramatically reduce industrial emissions of greenhouse gases.”

“As ZeroGen teeters on the edge of collapse and the coal industry reels from the imposition of a $1 billion per year cost under the ETS, the jobs of thousands of Australian coal miners in the thermal coal industry are now at risk.”

Mr Rudd visited the project site in Stanwell in March 2007 and publicly stated that he and his party supported the ZeroGen venture. But he has failed to follow through.

“It’s time for the Rudd Government to come clean,” said Mr Turnbull. “It has no magic wand to reduce carbon emissions. Until Labor gets serious about clean coal and offers more than platitudes, it will continue to put Australian jobs and industries at risk.”

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