Resources Minister Keith Pitt declares war on greenies, pushes coal, gas and uranium exports

Australia’s new Resources Minister has declared war on environmental activists determined to stop the export of fossil fuels.

A week after being elevated to cabinet, Keith Pitt is driving a push for Australia to sell more coal, natural gas and uranium to our major trading partners – and wants more mines approved.

He also signalled his determination to triumph over green groups. 

‘Some environmental groups would consign our manufacturing sector to outsourcing overseas, our rural and regional areas to poverty, and our economy to the dustbin of history,’ Mr Pitt told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday.

Minerals extracted from the ground are by far Australia’s biggest single export by value and the new Nationals minister has also vowed to boost gas production to help local manufacturers.

In his first major interview since taking the job, he has vowed to ramp up energy exports and pressure state governments to be more receptive to coal seam gas and coal mining.

He argued more extraction would boost government royalties, which would in turn fund essential community services and lift living standards. 

‘If we don’t explore and develop new gas supplies, we are consigning a lot of our manufacturing sector to outsourcing overseas and making families and businesses pay more for energy supplies,’ he told Nine newspapers.

He also vowed to pressure Queensland’s Labor government into approving more coal mines in the Galilee Basin.

‘A lot of those approvals live with the state government, not the federal government,’ Mr Pitt told The Australian.

Environmental activists and the Greens are determined to stop this in a bid to tackle climate change and have been staging militant demonstrations in Australia’s major cities. 

Environmental activists and the Greens are determined to stop this in a bid to tackle climate change and have been staging militant demonstrations in Australia’s major cities. Pictured are Extinction Rebellion protesters gluing themselves to a city street in Brisbane 

A week after being elevated to cabinet, Keith Pitt is driving a push for Australia to sell more coal, natural gas and uranium to our major trading partners

Extinction Rebellion has this month staged rowdy protests in Brisbane against Indian resources giant Adani’s proposed Carmichael mine in central Queensland’s Galilee Basin.

Militant protests have been a regular sight in the Queensland capital in recent months. 

Last year, as bushfires ravaged southern Queensland and northern New South Wales, Mr Pitt had a suggestion for Extinction Rebellion protesters who had threatened, by email, to stop him catching a flight.

‘Some anonymous numpty has taken it upon themselves to send us an email full of blackmail and threats saying they’ll come and close down our path to the airport,’ he told Parliament in November as a backbencher.

‘Well, can I say I’ve got a couple of suggestions: first thing is, stay at school and learn some punctuation.’

Mr Pitt, a Nationals MP who represents the regional southern Queensland electorate of Hinkler north of Brisbane, also suggested environmental activists volunteer with their local Rural Fire Services as an alternative to protesting.

‘They may well want to glue themselves or chain themselves to something,’ he said.

‘Here’s some more suggestions: get yourself down to your local volunteer fire brigade and chain yourself to a fire hose.

‘Stand up with those individuals who show courage and are out there protecting life and property.’

Mr Pitt last week replaced Matt Canavan as Resources Minister.

His predecessor resigned from the ministry and from cabinet as former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce launched an ultimately-doomed leadership challenge to Nationals leader Michael McCormack.

Minerals extracted from the ground are by far Australia’s biggest single export by value. Pictured is an open cut coal mine in the New South Wales Hunter Valley