Article by Mikaela Mulveney, courtesy of The Courier Mail
26.08.2025
The nation’s plentiful gas supply and the federal government’s net zero quest have been slammed as “all pain and no gain” as politicians, farmers, and mining industry heavyweights teed off on the controversial policy.
A panel discussion at The Courier-Mail’s Bush Summit in Toowoomba saw a clash over the contentious policy, just days after Queensland’s LNP voted to disendorse the federal government’s target during their annual conference.
Senator Matt Canavan slammed net zero as an “artificial target,” arguing it’s making it difficult for Australia to compete on the global stage, especially against nations like China.
“None of this is working. Whatever people’s views were a few years ago, you can call me crazy, a denier, every label under the sun — we’ve at some point, we have to make sure we make policy based on evidence,” he said.
He said lower electricity prices were the only way bipartisanship could be reached on the issue.
“If you can do that with coal like you’re promising, all of my arguments will fall away. All of my complaints will go away,” he said.
Senator Pauline Hanson further fuelled the debate, describing net zero as a “scam” and saying the nation would make no difference in climate change.
“I see prosperity of our country going down the drain,” she said.
Hancock Prospecting chief executive Stuart Johnston criticised both state and federal governments for “scaring off investors who could buy into [the sector].” He pointed to a litany of issues, including regulation and price caps.
Mining magnate Gina Rinehart AO labelled the policy “horrible and toxic.”
Mrs Rinehart, in a 10-minute video, said the policy was “costly” and would continue to hurt small businesses.
“Horrible net zero is on your beautiful doorstep,” she said.
“It is so much more expensive because we are giving out all these taxpayer subsidies to basically foreign-owned companies. The vast majority of these wind towers and toxic solar panels are foreign. There is going to be a lot more costs involved for handling net zero; I presume the only thing you can do with that is pass it onto the customer.”
Queensland Resources Council chief executive Janette Hewson said governments needed to reduce red tape.
“We can’t compete globally, we’ve got the highest energy costs, the highest land costs, and we’ve got so much compliance,” she said.
Ms Hewson also called for a pragmatic shift in thinking, urging a dump of the “ideology” and embracing all energy resources — from coal to gas and renewables where sensible.
“We’re talking about the certainty we need for decades in the future. I think as a nation, we’re a little bit sceptical of technologies that have been used overseas, and we need to learn from those. We’ve just got to recognise that there’s not always an immediate solution available to decarbonise.”
