2022-04-11
The Greens are today campaigning in the key state of Queensland, where the party is aiming to pick up seats, with a balance of power pledge to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in manufacturing and energy and to ensure all coal workers are looked after as we urgently tackle the climate crisis.
Greens Leader Adam Bandt is campaigning with Gladstone-based Queensland Senate candidate Penny Allman-Payne as well as priority lower house candidates Max Chandler-Mather (Griffith), Stephen Bates (Brisbane) and Elizabeth Watson-Brown (Ryan).
Lines attributable to Greens Leader Adam Bandt:
“The Greens are on the rise in Queensland because we’re tackling the climate crisis while supporting coal workers with a jobs and wages guarantee, as well as putting forward practical, costed plans to tackle cost of living pressures which is making the inequality crisis worse.
“The Greens have a proven track record of fighting to make life better for everyone. Last time the voters put the Greens in the balance of power we cut climate pollution and got free dental care for kids.
“In balance of power again, the Greens will take climate action by stopping new coal and gas mines, getting dental and mental health into Medicare, fixing the housing affordability crisis and wiping student debt.
“We will fight the climate crisis by putting a pause on new coal and gas, rolling out manufacturing and energy jobs at a scale never before seen, and ensuring that all coal and gas workers have a job and wage guarantee.
“The enemy is the climate crisis, not coal workers. The climate crisis is caused by mining and burning coal and gas, causing bigger fires, floods and more extreme weather than we have seen before just like we saw in Brisbane recently..
“Our commitment to coal and gas workers this election is that if the Greens are in the balance of power, we will fight for your right to a secure job at your current wages or higher.
“The best job for a coal worker is another mining job. To keep people safe we can’t open up any more coal and gas mines, but we can mine and process the minerals needed for the green energy transition, which Queensland has in abundance.
“We can be a renewable energy superpower if we invest in renewables and accelerate the transition to green steel, new forms of mining and manufacturing the products we need.
“Billionaire coal and gas corporations are costing us billions in handouts. They export billions in profits tax free. They need to pay their fair share of tax.”
“The Senate race in QLD is a choice between Penny, or Pauline and Palmer. In the lower House, people can choose between Liberal and Labor who want more coal and gas, or a Greens MP who will fight the climate crisis.”
Line attributable to Greens lead Senate candidate for Queensland Penny Allman-Payne
“The major parties have sold out to billionaires and big corporations, and UAP and One Nation are run by wealthy politicians who talk a big game then vote with the Liberals anyway.
“By voting Greens in the senate, you can kick out Pauline Hanson and send me to Canberra to fight for ordinary Queenslanders, not billionaires. We only need a 1.5% swing to win.”
Background - relevant policies
The Greens have previously released a plan to subsidise wages of coal workers and support communities through winding down of coal, and a bold plan to expand and repurpose Snowy Hydro.
See the Coal Worker Job Guarantee
See the plan for Renewables and Snowy Reimagined