Coal Australia Industry Dinner

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*Acknowledgements omitted.

Good evening everyone.

Before I begin, I too would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and extend my condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the worker who lost their life at the Peak Downs mine last Friday.

Can I also extend my thoughts to the other worker who was seriously injured, and the first responder who suffered a medical episode while attending the scene. I wish them both well in their recovery.

I know the mining community in the Bowen Basin is a strong one.

In times of tragedy, they do what they do best – rally behind one another.

It was special to see the Moranbah community come together last Friday afternoon to observe a minute’s silence for the worker who lost his life.

I understand the authorities – Mining and Energy Union safety representatives and Resources Safety and Health Queensland – are continuing investigations into the incident.

I will be closely following the outcome to ensure proper steps are taken to prevent tragedies like this occurring in the future.

I know that as an industry, we can do better.

Events like these are an important reminder to take stock of everything great in this sector and recognise where we can work together to improve.

Thank you to Stuart [Coal Australia CEO, Stuart Bocking], Grant [Mining Pro Executive Director, Grant Arnold] and the organisers for inviting me to speak tonight.

Both Coal Australia and Mining Pro make immense contributions to the industry and coal mining communities more broadly.

I want to commend Coal Australia on the essential work it does to promote the benefits of the coal industry and advocate on behalf of the sector.

Significantly, that advocacy reaches beyond the industry itself, and encompasses producers, suppliers, customers, employees and communities.

Tonight is a great opportunity to recognise how crucial our coal industry is to the nation’s economy and to fostering strong global partnerships.

From the moment it was first mined in the NSW Hunter region in the late 1700s, coal has helped shape the nation.

It was our first commodity export.

The birthplace of Queensland’s coal industry isn’t too far from where we are tonight.

This state’s coal story began in the 1840s with small-scale wheelbarrow extractions along the Brisbane River in Ipswich – a far cry from today’s mammoth operations.

Industry expansion, driven by the Bowen Basin development in the 1960s, transformed our State into one of the world's leading exporters of metallurgical coal used around the globe for steelmaking.

It is phenomenal that around 40% of global metallurgical coal export comes from Queensland.

This statistic demonstrates that this sector continues to be a cornerstone of Queensland’s – and Australia’s – economy and has helped build so many of our regional communities over the years.

It is the largest employer in many of our regional towns and has been a key source of our state’s prosperity.

In 2024-25, the nominal value of Australian coal exports was approximately $90 billion, and the industry supported around 50,000 jobs.

Coal demand in 2025 reached a historic high of 8.845 billion tonnes.

For thermal coal, Japan is Australia’s biggest export destination.

In 2024-25, Australia exported 73 million tonnes to Japan, which makes up 36 per cent of Australia’s total.

That is worth about $14.1 billion.

And this demand is set to continue.

Japan, for instance, has indicated it will need both thermal and metallurgical coal for decades to come.

The sentiment from other trading partners is clear – they will continue to rely on our thermal and metallurgical coal into the future.

Australian met coal exports will be essential for nations like India, South Korea and China in their steel-making production into the future.

Other developing nations such as Vietnam and Indonesia will rely heavily on Australian met coal to accommodate their fast-growing industrial capabilities.

And recently, Prime Minister Albanese and India’s Prime Minister Modhi took another step to strengthen our nations’ strategic relationship by signing the Joint Statement on Energy Security.

This Statement demonstrated the ongoing demand from India for Australia’s coal exports and Australia’s commitment to remaining a reliable supplier of coal to the region.

And as Assistant Minister for Resources, I want to work with the industry to ensure that we continue to maintain our international reputation for many years to come.

Because I have seen firsthand the skill, expertise and innovation that Australian mining proponents and the mining workforce show each and every day.

It’s this skill and knowhow which sets our mining operations apart from international competitors in operation efficiency.

This time last year, I went on a tour of coal mining sites across the Bowen Basin.

I was able to witness the longwall, highwall and open cut operations across Moranbah.

And I was struck when I was underground at the BMA Broadmeadow site by the deep expertise and commitment of the operations team towards their work.

Many of these workers were generational coal miners who spent years skilling up and specialising in underground operations.

Each had immense pride for what they did in their work and contributed to our nation’s economy.

The Albanese Government will continue to support the coal industry and its contribution to jobs and regional communities.

On the topic of continued innovation, I want to thank the industry for the innovation which continues to happen in the space of methane abatement and decarbonisation.

Earlier this week, I was pleased to join a roundtable with coal companies to hear about some of the sector innovation which is currently in development to enhance future abatement efforts.

I look forward to a continuing dialogue with the industry to ensure that these efforts are recognised by Government and are reflected in future policy discussions.

I want to finish by touching on global events and the increased focus on the importance of sovereign capability and national resilience.

With the situation in the Middle East still looking precarious, it’s a reminder of how important secure supply chains are to the resources sector.

Maintaining mining operations across the country is essential to our economic strength and energy security, as well as reciprocal trading partnerships.

And reliable access to products like diesel fuel is obviously critical for mining regions.

The sector is one of Australia’s largest users of diesel fuel, with the mining industry accounting for 25% of the country’s diesel consumption.

Coal operations account for nearly half (47.8 per cent) of the mining industry’s total diesel use.

Major mining operators, to their credit, have invested for decades in their own fuel supply arrangements and storage capacity.

This helps ensure their operations continue, without impeding the supply to the wider community.

On behalf of the Albanese Government, I want to thank the industry for their constructive engagement to ensure that Australian consumers and industry have adequate fuel supply.

The Albanese Government will continue to work to ensure there is a stable supply of diesel to the resources sector, particularly for the smaller operators who need it.

The Albanese Government stands with our resources sector, including the coal industry.

Coal will still play an important role in underpinning energy systems in the region for many years to come.

The world needs sufficient supplies to bridge the global energy transition.

Australia has an important role to play in meeting that demand.

In doing so, the sector will continue to employ tens-of-thousands of Australians and economically support communities across this country.

Thank you again for your attention this evening – and please enjoy what promises to be a lively and engaging panel session that follows.

Thank you.