By Mike Foley
A government push for new gas projects will make climate change worse according to teal independents and Greens who will target Labor’s support for the fossil fuel at the next election after doing the same to defeat the former Morrison government.
The government’s future gas strategy, released on Thursday, claims new projects are needed to ensure affordable gas is available beyond 2050 to underpin the switch to renewable energy. But the announcement has also alarmed some Labor MPs, who said the government should not be prolonging the use of fossil fuels.
Teal independent MPs Allegra Spender, Kylea Tink, Zali Steggall and Sophie Scamps have each criticised the government’s future gas strategy.Credit: Oscar Colman
New sources of gas were needed to bolster supply beyond 2050 from projects like Woodside’s offshore Scarborough gasfield and the Narrabri project in NSW, according to the new strategy, which warns that gas shortfalls will hit the eastern states by 2028 and Western Australia in 2030.
The most recent poll from the Resolve Political Monitor showed Labor losing ground in resource-rich states Queensland and WA, and month-on-month voter trends suggest the government could lose its three-seat majority at the next election, requiring it to negotiate with the crossbench.
Labor MP Ged Kearney said the government was clear in its strategy that no money would be invested in gas, arguing the policy should not entrench reliance on fossil fuels.
“The voice of my community is strong. Our future lies in renewable energy. We cannot draw out our reliance on fossil fuels any longer than is necessary,” Kearney said.
Another Labor MP Josh Burns said on Thursday the government should not seek to expand the use of gas.
“We need to continue to move towards low-emissions technology, not prolong fossil fuels,” Burns said in a statement.
A third Labor MP, Jarome Laxale, said the government should switch to clean energy as soon as possible.
“I believe that we need to be moving away from fossil fuels, not championing them,” Laxale said.
The Greens made their opposition of the Morrison government’s gas-led climate policy a centrepiece of their 2022 election campaign, and increased their presence in the House of Representatives from one MP to four.
“Gas is as dirty as coal, but [Prime Minister Anthony] Albanese now loves gas more than Scott Morrison, opening new coal and gas mines and wanting more past 2050,” Greens leader Adam Bandt said.
Teal independents also campaigned hard on climate change action at the last election, where Zali Steggall was joined by six more independent MPs.
Kate Chaney, elected to the Perth seat of Curtin, said the government had not fully explored alternatives to boosting gas usage.
“[Gas projects] absolutely need to be last resort,” Chaney said. “Here in WA, we’re exporting 90 per cent of our gas and yet the potential domestic situation is used as an excuse to expand the export market. We have a gas reservation and we’re meant to get 15 per cent of gas for the domestic market, but it’s been more like 8 per cent.”
Albanese said the policy is “consistent with achieving net zero by 2050”, arguing any shortfalls must be overcome to ensure gas is available to supply gas-fired power plants as back up for renewable energy.
There is no reservation scheme for gas produced on the east coast of Australia, most of which is exported.
Steggall called for an east-coast reservation to be created to fill supply shortfalls before new gas fields are opened and accused the government of caving to industry.
“Just like the Morrison government, the Albanese government is captured by gas industry and self-interest and if I read the tea leaves, WA wants to expand its gas and the Albanese government needs to hold on to its WA seats to hold on to government,” she said.
The gas industry lobby group Australian Energy Producers chief executive Samantha McCulloch welcomed the sentiment of the government’s strategy but said its success would be “determined by whether it delivers meaningful policy reforms”.
Grattan Institute energy director Tony Wood said the gas strategy was an opportunity for the government to detail its solutions for “serious challenges” on gas supply, but it had only offered broad principles without specifics.
“We’ve got to get to net zero and we are running out of gas in Victoria. But it’s like a join-the-dots pictures in kids colouring books with the government’s strategy, which has a whole lot of dots and it’s up to everybody else to join them up.“
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