Coal-fired project at risk Labor resists Coalition strongarm tactics on power station

THE future of a proposed clean coal-fired power station at Collinsville could be at risk as the Coalition attempts to strongarm Labor into supporting the project.

The $3.3m grant supporting a feasibility study into the project will go before federal parliament next week and North

Queensland MPS are pushing for Labor’s support.

Federal Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor will table the legislative instrument required to support the feasibility study grant expenditure next week.

Within 15 sitting days of the grant expenditure being tabled to parliament, a senator or MP can give notice of a motion to disallow the instrument, used to authorise the funding.

Herbert MP Phillip Thompson, Dawson MP George Christensen, Capricornia MP Michelle Landry and Senator Matt Canavan have urged North Queensland Labor senators, including Cairns-based Nita Green, to back the project.

Mr

Thompson said this would help lower power prices and called for ALP leader Anthony Albanese to support North Queensland.

“In the Senate we need her (Green) to vote with the government … and make sure the Collinsville coal-fired power station goes ahead,” he said.

But the project has not had support in the past, with Mr Albanese saying in February there was no place for coalfired power plants in Australia.

Mr Christensen said this was a “clear test” for the ALP to see where it stood on clean coal-fired power.

Senator Green said the project was a “hoax” used to buy favour and votes at the federal election.

“Half of the federal Liberal Party don’t support this project and neither does the LNP state opposition,” she said.

“The LNP needs to spend less time wasting taxpayer money on new coal-fired power projects that will deliver more expensive power. If they want to deliver real jobs they would support manufacturing industries and accept Labor’s call for a bipartisan energy policy to bring prices down.”