Prime Minister Scott Morrison has endorsed a Queensland candidate's campaign slogan - "Ken stands for coal" - as climate continues to be a hot election issue.
Mr Morrison stood alongside Ken O'Dowd in Gladstone on Friday and was asked if he also "stood for coal".
"Yes," the prime minister answered.
"55,000 jobs depend on our coal mining industry. That's what it does and I think that's great for Australia.
"And it will continue to play an important role in Australia."
The prime minister has launched another attack on Labor's plan to reduce pollution, this time listing local businesses with high emissions along with an estimated price they would pay under a Shorten government.
The estimates, all in the millions of dollars, assume companies will not try to reduce pollution and instead pay a price for international offsets ranging up to $62 a tonne over 10 years to 2030.
"They're having to spend money they weren't otherwise spending," Mr Morrison said.
Labor has not released a cost for its emissions reduction plan, saying it's impossible because businesses will decide how to reduce their own pollution.
The opposition is proposing an emissions reduction target of 45 per cent by 2030 on 2005 levels, compared to the coalition's goal of a 26 per cent reduction.
Emissions have been rising over the past few years under the coalition's climate plan, but Mr Morrison insists international targets will be met.
"Under our policies ... you don't have to say goodbye to jobs in central Queensland in order to say hello to lower emissions," he said.
