Protecting our climate and building a fairer future economy 

Since 2015, Labor has approved 38 new coal mines and 3700 gas wells in Queensland. And despite fossil fuel exports continuing to increase, by 2026, royalties from gas companies will have crashed by almost 60%, and royalties from coal companies by more than 70%.

Labor and the LNP have got it backwards. Instead of digging up more coal and gas while getting less for Queenslanders, we should be phasing out fossil fuels while taxing a greater share of the revenue, to invest in Queensland’s future: new jobs, renewable technologies, and better services.

No new coal or gas

Longer droughts, hotter heat waves, and more intense cyclones, floods, and bushfires — worsening climate change threatens lives, homes and everything we love. 

While big coal and gas companies continue to profit, ordinary people are already paying the cost of a warming climate, with higher insurance premiums, more expensive produce, and damage to homes and businesses. 

The Greens are the only party with a plan to: 

• Stop new coal & gas approvals 
• Align Queensland’s emissions targets with our Paris Agreement obligations 
• Phase out thermal coal production by 2030, and gas & metallurgical coal by 2040
• Reach 100% publicly owned renewable energy by 2030 
• Fund a transition plan for coal and gas resources workers 
• Increase royalties paid on coal and gas from existing fossil fuel projects.

A fair share from mining companies

Over the last ten years big mining corporations have exported $634 billion of our resources, but only paid 9% of that in royalties. Big gas corporations have paid just 4%, even while their profits have exploded. Labor’s recent coal royalty changes, which only ever applied to coal sold at super-profit prices, will cease earning any extra revenue from next year.

The Greens will: 

• Increase the base royalty rate to 35% across all resources, including coal, gas and other minerals
• Raise an extra $61 billion over four years, even as we phase out existing fossil fuel projects
• Fund a cleaner future for Queensland beyond fossil fuels, supporting workers and investing in new clean manufacturing and renewable energy.

You can read about the Greens’ Fair Share plan in full here.

Build 100% publicly owned renewable energy & cut power bills

To keep Queenslanders safe, the renewable energy transition must go faster. The Greens will invest in publicly owned renewable energy to lower power bills while cutting pollution. 

The Greens will: 

• Invest $65 billion in new publicly owned renewables, storage and grid upgrades, achieving 100% renewable energy by 2030
• Cut power bills by $531 per year by abolishing private energy retailers and stopping public power companies from acting like profit-hungry corporations.

You can read about our plan to reverse privatisation, cut electricity bills, and reach 100% renewable energy by 2030 here.

A public mining company

While coal and gas are on the way out, Queensland’s North West Minerals Province has an estimated $500 billion worth of the critical minerals we need for new technologies like solar panels, wind turbines and batteries. Instead of handing them over to big mining multinationals, the Greens would take a direct ownership share of our critical mineral wealth, developing them responsibly and returning the profits to Queenslanders. 

The Greens will:

• Create a publicly owned mining company, Queensland Minerals, with first priority to own and operate key critical minerals projects in the North West Minerals Province
• Create 1,000 good mining jobs at Queensland Minerals, with priority given to former coal and gas workers and a target of 15% First Nations staff
• Enforce tough standards for environmental performance, safety, and land rehabilitation on public mine sites
• Conduct operations only with the free, prior and informed consent of First Nations traditional owners, including adequate compensation
• Deliver an estimated $14 billion in additional public revenue through critical minerals production from 2030-50.

You can read about our plan for a publicly owned mining company here.

Build up green manufacturing

The Greens will use government investment and our public mining company, Queensland Minerals, to spearhead new green manufacturing.

The Greens will:

• Support new publicly owned green steel, wind turbine, solar panel and battery manufacturing hubs in regional Queensland
• Require more on-shore processing of clean energy minerals produced by Queensland Minerals
• Direct our new public property developer to support domestic manufacturing of prefabricated homes and mass timber products when building our 100,000 public homes.