Clean Coal

The message from Labor is clean and clear.

When it comes to the coal industry, we need to invest in reducing emissions. We need to invest in protecting our export industry. We need to invest in protecting jobs and ensuring the future wellbeing of all people associated with the industry.

Our $500m clean coal policy will transform the industry, protecting and generating jobs, opening up opportunities for the export of successful clean coal technologies. Consider the scope of these technologies and the major impact they could have on emmissions:

* Coal gasification, whereby power plants gasify the coal with the resultant synthesis gas used to run a turbine that produces electricity.

* Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), whereby the CO2 from the synthesis gas is separated, and then redirected and stored. The redirection of CO2 into geological formations is called geosequestriation.

* Oxy firing, whereby pulverised coal is combusted in a mixture of oxygen and recirculated flue gas in order to reduce the net volume of flue gases from the process and to substantially increase the concentration of CO2 in the flue gases.

* Post Combustion Capture (PCC), whereby CO2 is removed from the flue gas from conventional coal fired power stations and then stored.

We cannot realistically think the coal industry can be closed down in Australia. The effect on how way of life would be catastrophic. It is only the research and development of appropriate solutions for the removal of CO2 emissions that will contribute to a 60% reduction in greenhouse pollution by 2050.

Long term solutions such as this are only achieved by having a vision, together with the courage to take the "baby steps" needed right now.