Teal MP Monique Ryan has sparked a furious backlash after she slammed Anthony Albanese’s government for approving a new coal project on the ‘hottest day ever’.
The independent Melbourne MP for Kooyong was branded a hypocrite after posting on Twitter: ‘The world just had its hottest day ever.
‘On the same day, Labor approved a new thermal coal mine. Climate change is here, and Labor needs to start taking it seriously.’
But she triggered a storm of outrage for raising global warming issues after she had taken 27 business class flights, costing $28,000, during her first year in Parliament.
Business class flights are known to produce three times as much carbon emissions than economy class.
The Twitter row blew up after Labor signed off a nine-year extension to the Japanese-owned Ensham mine, 200km west of Rockhampton in central Queensland.
Teal MP Monique Ryan (pictured) has sparked a furious backlash after she slammed Anthony Albanese’s government for approving a new coal mine on the ‘hottest day ever’
Japanese-owned Ensham mine (pictured) will produce 4.5million tonnes of coal a year and is the first thermal coal project approved by the Labor government since the 2022 election
It will mine 4.5million tonnes of coal a year and is the first thermal coal project approved by the Labor government since coming to power in May 2022.
Despite election promises of imposing stricter emission targets and greater use of renewable power, Labor has expanded natural gas and coal production.
Approval for a metallurgical coal mine was given in May and Labor also opened up nearly 47,000sqkm of Australian waters to oil and gas exploration last year.
Labor’s latest decision on Wednesday came after it was announced Earth had its hottest day on record, although that record was then itself broken the following day.
The average global temperature reached 17.01C on Monday, surpassing the August 2016 record of 16.92C as heatwaves sizzled around the world.
On Tuesday, it hit 17.18C and remained there on Wednesday, with experts warning more records are likely to fall as a new El Nino cycle begins.
On Tuesday, the average global temperature hit a record high of 17.18C and remained there on Wednesday, with experts warning more records are likely to fall as a new El Nino cycle begins
Southern US states have suffered intense heat in recent weeks, while China has seen consistent temperatures above 35C and the mercury in North Africa has neared 50C.
Even Antarctica in the midst of winter has seen unusually high temperatures, with the Argentine Islands hitting a new July high of 8.7C.
But Dr Ryan – who unseated former treasurer Josh Frydenburg at the last election – was attacked online when she tried to use the new data to attack Labor.
‘How many flights have you been on this year?’ demanded one.
’27 business class flights in one year, Mon!’ slammed another. ‘Someone is being incredibly hypocritical! How embarrassing!
‘Stop treating the people with their eyes open as fools.’
Dr Ryan was revealed to have taken the most business class flights of all her teal colleagues in Parliament, mostly on the Melbourne to Canberra route.
Melbourne’s Goldstein MP Zoe Daniels flew business four times and Sydney’s Mackellar MP Sophie Scamps once, but none of the others took any at all.
Anthony Albanese’s government approved a metallurgical coal mine in May and also opened up nearly 47,000sqkm of Australian waters to oil and gas exploration last year
The Ensham coal mine is currently owned by Japan’s Idemitsu but it has sold its stake in the project to South African firm Sungel, which will take over operations.
It will produce about 1/40th of Australia’s total thermal coal exports and was slammed by Greens leader Adam Bandt when the decision was confirmed.
‘Labor’s current climate strategy is to condemn a decade of Liberal inaction in Parliament, whilst hoping you don’t notice their massive expansion of coal and gas at the exact same time,’ he said.
Energy minister Tanya Plibersek defended the approval, saying it met environmental conditions, and insisted she had blocked three other coal mines since taking power.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Dr Ryan’s office for comment.
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