Greens MP Adam Bandt has linked the fatal Cyclone Debbie raging across northern Queensland to a proposed new coal-fired power plant and climate change, saying more people will suffer with the burning of more coal.
With the storm already having claimed one life, Federal Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg condemned the Greens' comments as "unconscionable and hysterical."
In a statement released on Monday afternoon, Mr Bandt likened building new coal power stations to deliberate exposure to asbestos and cigarettes.
"Building a new coal fired power station now is like knowing cigarettes cause cancer but starting your kids on a pack a day, or knowing asbestos kills but building your family home with it anyway," Mr. Bandt said.
"The more coal we burn, the more intense extreme weather events like Cyclone Debbie will be. People will suffer."
"Matt Canavan, who hails from the state that this cyclone is hitting, is calling this 'an investment' when it's just a straight-out subsidy for aging and dangerous technology. This is a reprehensible move that takes money from schools and hospitals to prop up a declining industry that's threatening our way of life."
Responding to the Greens statement, Mr Frydenberg said: "The Greens are using Cyclone Debbie to score cheap political points at a time when lives and livelihoods are at risk."
"These claims are as unconscionable as they are hysterical. The Greens should be ashamed of themselves."
He said any new coal-fired power station would produce "far lower emissions" than an existing plant because it would involve improved technology.
"The Government believes in an 'all of the above' approach to ensure we have reliable, affordable electricity - we shouldn't be ruling out energy sources based on extreme ideology," he said.
Mr Frydenberg insisted that the energy sector believes "coal will continue to play an important and significant part in the world's energy mix for decades to come."
A proposal to use taxpayer funds allocated to a $5 billion fund to develop industries in Northern Australia to back a so-called new "clean coal" plant for Rockhampton in Queensland came under fire on Monday with a report emerging that the government is considering the idea.
The Australian Climate Council warned in January that more intense and destructive cyclones were likely in Queensland as a result of climate change and rising global temperatures.
The skirmish between Mr Bandt and Mr Frydenberg comes against the backdrop of a fierce debate amongst federal parliamentarians about the future of Australia's energy sources, following the crippling blackouts in South Australia and New South Wales.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has declared the matter an "energy crisis" and the Coalition has swung heavily in favour of coal as a result, saying renewables are not yet reliable enough to guarantee supply.
Treasurer Scott Morrison brandishing a lump of coal in Parliament. Photo: Andrew Meares
Treasurer Scott Morrison famously took a lump of coal into Question Time to mock critics of coal-fired power, who say it emits harmful emissions contributing to climate change. But the Australian government's stance is at odds with that of developing giants India and China who are slowing and even halting work on new coal-fired power.
In January China's energy regulator told 11 provinces to stop more than 100 coal-fired projects, even though construction had already begun on some.
The move follows similar initiatives last year and comes after the government said in November it would eliminate or delay at least 150 GW of coal-fired power projects between 2016 and 2020 and cap coal power generation at 1,100 GW.
A report prepared by Greenpeace, the Sierra Club and Greenpeace and published last week found there was a 48 per cent decline in the number of planned coal units in India and China and a further 62 per cent decline in construction starts with the drop mainly attributed to changed policies in China and India.
The government's renewed embrace of coal also appears to be at odds with Australian voters. A Fairfax-IPSOS poll published on Tuesday found just 33 per cent of those surveyed believe Australia should continue backing coal.
A proposal to use taxpayer funds allocated to a $5 billion fund to develop industries in Northern Australia to back a so-called new "clean coal" plant for Rockhampton in Queensland came under fire on Monday with a report emerging that the government is considering the idea.
Resources Minister Matt Canavan said it would be crazy for Australia to turn its back on the "cheapest form of power, which is coal-fired."
"We're lucky enough in this country to have abundant sources of high quality coal," the Minister told Sydney radio 2GB. He said any financial backing for a new coal plant would be a government "investment" in infrastructure.
"It's obviously a big project to build a coal-fired power station and we need to get it right. So we need to have more of those discussions and get the details right and the environment right for people to invest in our country and provide reliable electricity at a cheap price."
with Reuters
