2021-01-27
Amid brewing dissatisfaction within the Nationals over their place in the Coalition, Scott Morrison must rule out giving in to their absurd demands for more coal-fired power at taxpayers’ expense and instead develop a plan to phase out coal.
Instead of an unworkable coal fired recovery, the Greens have reiterated their calls for a Green Recovery - a costed plan to create 880,000 long term jobs as Australia phases out coal and reaches net zero emissions.
“The Prime Minister must tell Michael McCormack today that his coal plan is dead on arrival. Anything less puts workers and Australia’s climate at risk,” Greens Leader Adam Bandt said today.
“Scott Morrison is pretending that coal has a future. The Nationals are exploiting this cowardice to rock the boat for their own narrow political ends.
“The Nationals’ so-called ‘recovery plan’ puts farmers at risk by choosing coal over crops, making the climate crisis worse.
“Far from being ambitious, it is a pitiful attempt to protect their mates invested in yesterday’s technology, while putting agriculture at risk from the climate crisis and holding back hundreds of thousands of new jobs.
“A Green Recovery will create 10% more jobs than the Nationals’ coal-fired throwback. We have to apply 21st century solutions to today’s problems. That means solar, wind, and hydrogen, not coal, gas and oil.
“This morning on ABC Radio National, the Treasurer hedged his bets when talking about coal-fired power. Scott Morrison must rule it out immediately because equivocation just empowers the Nationals to keep rocking the boat.”