Queensland premier snubs coal miners over ads

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is no longer Queensland's preferred leader, a poll has found. Photo: AAP
Queenslandâs premier has snubbed the coal mining lobbyâs annual lunch after it launched an advertising campaign against recent royalty hikes.
Miners have been protesting against the government making it pay more royalties on each tonne of coal sold for more than $175 since the start of July.
The Queensland Resource Council launched a series of print, radio, television and online ads targetting the tax change on Wednesday ahead of its annual lunch in Brisbane.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says neither she nor her ministers will attend this yearâs event because sheâs âextremely disappointedâ and âangryâ at QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlaneâs ongoing âattacks on the governmentâ.
âYes, I was invited to todayâs lunch, I have made it very clear that my ministers will not be attending this lunch because of the campaign, the $40 million campaign,â she told reporters on Friday.
âThat $40 million, if companies are making $40 million to go into a campaign, that money can be very well spent in the lead-up to Christmas helping Queenslanders.â
The coal mining lobbyâs ads say that Queenslandâs coal royalty rate is five times the rate in NSW and âby far the worldâs highestâ, and put future investment and jobs at risk.
Mr Macfarlane said the change is short-sighted and is already having an impact on the sector after fourth months.
âThe global resources market is extremely competitive, and companies have plenty of other regions and countries in which to invest their capital if a particular government decides to start imposing exorbitant royalty tax rates,â he said in a statement.
âThe Queensland governmentâs short-sighted decision to use the resources sector as a cash cow to plug up budget holes is already having an impact.
âOur major trading partner, Japan, and companies as big as BHP and Peabody Energy, have already publicly questioned their future investment in new projects in Queensland, putting tens of thousands of jobs across our industryâs supply chain at risk.â
The premier said she supported the mining sector, and had always given the Japanese government security of coal supplies.
Mr Macfarlane, a former federal coalition Industry minister, called for the government to speak with mining companies and reconsider the royalty hike.
â AAP








