Ok, so let's assume we turn to clean energy in the future, let's say before coal and gas reserves are depleted.

Given we are a country that relies on exports, just to put food on our tables, where will these export dollars come from, so we can continue to live a normal lifestyle.

Simple,

We will export our coal and oil so that some one else can burnt it Tax free.

Simple.

We will export our coal and gas so that someone else can burnt it and it can be on their environmental conscience and not ours!

Oh look, Shadow Minister already said that, more or less!

I should have been more specific and said when the word turns to renewables, as This is what the greens are aiming for.

They would like to leave the coal, gas and oil in the ground, assuming we will all go back to the horse and cart.

Further proof they are a joke and should not be taken seriously.

We are on the horns of a dilemma !
We will need the coal to produce the infrastructure for the new energy
regime, whatever it may be.
So at some point a balance between how long it will take, how much of
our coal will be needed and how much we can sell.
A very difficult guess and I don't believe our politicians are that clever.

As to oil, shadow minister, well we have none to export as we use
double what we get out of the ground.

The main problem is that we do not have a way of storing electricity
in large enough MWHrs. Until we do wind and solar just won't do the job.
There are ways of doing the job, but if they need a very large part
of our GDP to do the job, then we simply cannot afford to do it.
This gets right down to fundamental circulation of energy and money.

Notice how world wide governments are crying that they do not have the money ?

Brown coal is being worked on to clean it up. Renewable energy will save heaps, weather it's solar on industrial roofs or on house roofs.
The idea is to apply some pressure to force a change.
If we deplete everything it will only make us an importer, what's happening else where should not control our push to get of Oil and Coal.
About 300 years of brown coal in the ground, is cheap fuel, this is why they are working on ways to clean it up, would this happen without the threat of a carbon tax.