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Brown's flood comments draw ire

MINING industry and political leaders have joined in a chorus of condemnation against comments by...

Lou Caruana

Brown had also called for the Australian coal industry to pay for the damage caused by the floods, with half of Canberra's planned Minerals Resource Rent Tax set aside for a repairs fund.

"Burning coal is a major cause of global warming," The Australian quoted Brown as saying.

"This industry, which is 75 per cent-owned outside Australia, should help pay the cost of the predicted more severe and more frequent floods, droughts and bushfires in coming decades."

Brown wants the mining tax to be put into a sovereign fund, instead of being used for tax cuts and other government spending.

Queensland Resources Council chief Michael Roche said the industry’s response to the flood emergency was “outstanding”, with cash donations of more than $5 million to the premier's flood relief appeal to date complemented by donations to resource communities in central Queensland, and in-kind assistance.

“Amid this national outpouring of generosity for flood victims, the response from the Australians Greens has been, quite frankly, sickening,” Roche said.

“To blame the coal industry for floods that have been [a] regular occurrence in Queensland since white settlement simply confirms that despite claims to having mainstream political status, the Greens remain an opportunistic fringe group, out of touch with real Australians.

“If the coal industry caused the 2010-11 floods, then who we must ask was responsible for the other 16 moderate to major floods in Brisbane since 1840, the 23 in Ipswich and 26 in Rockhampton?”

Queensland's Natural Resources Minister Stephen Robertson told ABC Radio that Senator Brown's comments are not helping the emergency situation in Queensland and are not based on scientific fact.

"We need to take a sober look as to what occurred, particularly in terms of what the Bureau of Meteorology is telling us," he said.

"But to go out there at this point in time and point the finger in particular directions is not good science and I don't think the debate about climate change is particularly well served by those more emotional outbursts that we've been seeing by some individuals."

Coalition Senate Leader Eric Abetz said Brown needs to apologise for his “insensitive foray into the Queensland flood disaster”.

“While silly and insensitive comments by Senator Brown have become his hallmark, his timing in this period of national mourning and uncertainty as to the death toll, shows a public figure at his very lowest,” he said.

“Senator Brown’s comments expose the Greens and his leadership as shallow and cynical – willing to peddle political propaganda in the face of a natural disaster.

“Australia is a country of hugely varying climate extremes, from drought to flood in no time. It has always been thus. To imply climate change is responsible for flooding is to deny the world’s history from Noah and beyond.”

To suggest Australia’s coal mining sector is to blame whilst ignoring the rest of the world’s coal mining sector exposes the “utter stupidity” of Senator Brown’s comments, Abetz said.

“Climate scientists have warned politicians time and time again that individual extreme weather occurrences cannot be blamed on climate change,” he said.

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