Guest essay by Eric Worrall

The Aussie federal government funded ABC is surprised that Al Gore has skirted around pointing out the screaming coal hypocrisy of his hosts, the Queensland State Government, who just paid Gore $320K AU of taxpayer’s money to visit Queensland.

Al Gore speaks in Brisbane but avoids an inconvenient elephant in the room

By state political reporter Allyson Horn

Renowned climate change campaigner Al Gore came to Australia’s coal capital on taxpayer money and lunched with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk today. Neither of them mentioned Adani.

Key points:

• Mr Gore said Australia needed to look past chasing “dinosaur projects of the past”
• His trip to Queensland was funded with $320,000 of Queensland Government money
• He dined with the Queensland Premier who also spoke and likewise avoided mentioning Adani

…

He spoke of a “sustainable revolution” involving solar and wind technology, but there was no discussion of Adani’s proposed Carmichael coal mine in Central Queensland. 

The omission comes with less than a week to go until the Queensland Government’s self-imposed deadline on an environmental approval that would give the mega coal mine its final governmental go-ahead. 
Mr Gore himself hinted it was a sensitive subject, with a veiled poke at traditional energy production. 

“The nation has to make a decision,” he said. 

…

“In Queensland we are — and will continue to be — a state where minerals that sustain human existence are dug from the ground,” she said. 

Mr Gore also suggested coal production for India, as proposed with Adani’s mine, may not be needed.

…

Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-07/adani-mine-not-mentioned-as-al-gore-speaks-in-brisbane/11191116

The left wing green state Labor politicians who run Queensland have discovered a new love for coal, since their federal counterparts got smashed in normally safe Labor mining regions in the state’s North.

Yet at the same time they are trying to keep big city green supporters happy, by inviting Al Gore to the state capital, to do a bit of climate training; though obviously as part of the deal Gore agreed not to mention certain topics.

For shame Al Gore – did you really just sell out your climate principles for a measly few 100K cash? Or is there some other explanation? Inquiring minds would like to know.