Why is the Morrison government spending $4 million on a feasibility study into a coal fired power station at Collinsville Queensland. An insane waste of taxpayer money, economically such an undertaking in a free market is unrealistic. There is no possibility that such a project would attract the necessary private investment to ever fly. Why spend $4 million, the answer is simple, to appease a radical misguided coal loving section of the National Party.

Presently the coal industry is a very important component for the well being of Australia, it accounts for 52,000 jobs and is worth $67 billion to the economy. But what of its future, all the signs, and all the advice, indicate coal has an extremely uncertain long term future in Australia. Action is needed now to facilitate a transition away from coal to more sustainable industries that can provide long term job opportunities for tomorrows generation. Carrying on with silly feasibility studies into what will prove to be a dead horse is ridiculous, even if it does placate the likes of Joyce, Canavan and Christensen in the short term.

Paul you come up with a scheme that will employ 600 people in a remote town in QLD. Obviously you prefer they move to the coast or go no welfare and become a second class community.

I want to see how hot we can make the planet so lets keep burning coal, oil and gas like there's no tomorrow.

Just saw on TV that Antarctica has just recorded an abnormally high temperature and that its ice shelves and glaciers are being melted by a warmer Southern Ocean.

When all the ice is eventually melted in Antarctica we will be able to migrate to the South Pole instead of going to Mars. Tony Abbott can lead the first colonists.

Josephus,
I have asked him et al such questions over time also. They never come up with any ideas other than primitive sarcasm !
If the study comes up with cleaner coal burning then all good but considering that they'll only engage academic "experts" it'll be a waste of Dollars for sure !
Coal burning is by far less polluting than producing frivolous commodities & frivolous overuse of communication which are all petroleum based !
The money would be better spent on creating a Non Military National Service ! At least a NS would ensure more common sense than Paul1405 et al are capable of !

Part of the cost the relaxing of regulations on coal magnates is the reemergence of black lung.

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/black-lung-a-potentially-fatal-disease-that-australia-eradicated-decades-ago-has-reemerged/news-story/2fcc634d0261e88f4c6463d39f6a84aa

Queensland is by far the worst offender and lives are being lost as a result. The mining companies are resisting even a 10c levy per tonne of coal to go to dealing with the medical costs of victims.

It is a dirty exploitative industry and unless mines can be made safe they should go.

Paul, long after you & I have departed this earth, coal & it's hand maidens, gas & oil will still be producing the majority of the electricity generated world wide.

There are only so many sights suitable for hydro, & neither of the other renewables are capable, even at ridiculously exorbitant cost, of producing more than a smidgen of our required power.

This black/brown horse will still be galloping long after the stupidity of the green movement is merely an unpleasant memory. It may not be as prevalent as it is currently if those ratbag greens would get over their unreasoning fear of nuclear, but its use will out live the greeny rabble by decades, even centuries.