Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten has backflipped on his stance over the Adani coal mine.

A year ago Mr Shorten openly supported the Adani coal mine, “so long as stacks up financially”.

Today, he says he doesn’t back the $16-billion coal mine, angering a number of his colleagues.

“I’ve made it clear I’m a sceptic, and increasingly sceptical of the Adani proposal.”

Ross Greenwood speaks with former state Labor MP for Mirani Jim Pearce who says the coal mine should go ahead.

“My experience… I would suggest that the people of that region are in favour or Adani going ahead.

“It means jobs for mine workers, it means jobs for small business,” he says.

“It would make it very, very difficult for a Labor candidate to win those seats that rely on the mining industry.

“While there supporters of the mine not going ahead, the majority of people in those areas want to see Adani kick off… simply because they want jobs.”

Listen to the full interview below