The NSW deputy premier, John Barilaro, has rejected Malcolm Turnbull’s call for a moratorium on new coalmines in the state and demanded the former prime minister “set aside his war on the Coalition”.
Turnbull said on Wednesday he believed coalmine proposals and approvals in the state’s upper Hunter Valley were “out of control”.
The former Liberal prime minister said he supported a ban because mines were devastating the landscape, shortening lives by reducing air quality and – given the declining global demand for coal – potentially leaving taxpayers with a huge environmental remediation bill.
Barilaro subsequently attacked Turnbull, stating he had misjudged his new role as the inaugural chair of the NSW Net-Zero Emissions and Clean Economy Board. Barilaro, the state Nationals leader, said the NSW government was “firmly committed” to the coal industry and Turnbull himself expressed support for coal as recently as 2017.
“He needs to set aside his war on the Coalition, because of his damaged ego after being rejected as leader and prime minister, like I’ve set aside my own past grievances on this issue,” Barilaro said in a statement on Wednesday evening.
Source: The Guardian
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