Push for coal mine ban

THE Greens will next week call on Parliament to ban new coal mines in Tasmania, amid concerns over an exploration drilling grant for land in the Midlands.

Resources Minister Guy Barnett this month confirmed a grant of up to $50,000 was approved for Perth company Midland Energy under the Exploration Drilling Grant Initiative.

The company has to May next year to complete drilling requirements to receive the grant. The land is at Woodbury and Jericho.

Federal Greens Leader Richard Di Natale joined with state Greens Leader Cassy O’Connor and fellow MP Rosalie Woodruff to denounce the awarding of the grant.

“We need to make sure that we transition away from coal to clean, green energy and that means not one more coal mine can open up,” Senator Di Natale said.

“Tasmania’s future is in clean, green energies, in tourism, in hospitality, in clean renewable technologies.”

Ms O’Connor said the Greens would table a motion on Wednesday to ban new coal mines in the state.

“We believe the thousands of young people, their mums, dads, families and friends who marched on Parliament’s Lawns on September 20 are with us in calling for a ban on new coal mines in Tasmania,’’ she said.

“This is 2019, we are in a climate emergency, there is no moral or economic justification for even allowing exploration for coal, let alone providing public subsidies to enable it, and to tacitly encourage it.”

Mr Barnett said the Government has not granted, or been asked to grant, a mining lease for the land in question.

“Midland Energy and associated companies have held relevant exploration licences since they were granted under the former Labor Government in 2008,’’ he said.

“Any proposal for mining would be subject to rigorous assessment and must be in the state’s best interests.”

A Labor spokesman said: “Labor does not believe that prime agricultural land in the Midlands is an appropriate place for a coal mine.”