Federal Labor has “sold out” Queensland jobs in favour of inner-city votes, Senator Matt Canavan said today.

This follows the refusal of Acting Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek to support the Federal Government’s approval of expansion for the Abbot Point coal-loading facility.

“Ms Plibersek was asked on radio today if she supported the Coalition’s decision to approve expansion of Abbot Point,” Senator Canavan said. “She refused to support it.

“Instead, she said that ‘the environment (should be kept) at the centre of the decision-making process’ in relation to Abbot Point.

“Well, I support protection of the environment but I am an even stronger supporter of creating Queensland jobs.

“Expansion of Abbot Point and the related development of coal-mining in the Galilee Basin will provide thousands of jobs throughout Central and North Queensland and is essential for our economic well-being up here.”

Senator Canavan said federal Labor was more interested in inner-city votes that regional Queensland jobs.

“The problem for Labor is that they’re bleeding votes in inner cities to the Greens. That especially threatens Tanya Plibersek, who holds the seat of Sydney, which takes in the metropolitan area itself and adjacent inner-city suburbs.

“The world looks a lot different from Glebe and Ultimo than it does from Rocky and Bowen. Unfortunately, the focus of Ms Plibersek and so many other Labor leaders is on big-city metro trendies, not on workers in regional Australia.

“Today, Ms Plibersek repeated Labor’s call for even tougher carbon-reduction targets and for 50 per cent renewable energy in Australia by 2030.

“We all know what that means. It’s code for cut back the coal industry. It’s harder and harder to see the differences these days between Labor and the Greens when it comes to anti-coal, anti-jobs policies in Queensland.

“Let me be clear. I support development of the Galilee Basin and expansion of coal-export facilities at Abbot Point because that means more jobs and a brighter future for communities in regional Queensland. That’s the Coalition Government position as well.

“There is only one job Tanya Plibersek is worried about, and it’s in the heart of Sydney, not Central Queensland.”