Coalition wants to accelerate Beetaloo gas production

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2472 Jacinta PriceLETTER TO THE EDITOR
 
Sir – The Federal Coalition Government wants to boost jobs and reduce domestic gas prices by accelerating production from the NT’s Beetaloo Basin.
 
The Coalition has committed $8.4m for work to potentially speed up development of the gas resource.
 
We want to get on with the job. We want to get the gas up out of the ground and into people’s homes and businesses as quickly as we can.
 
We want to ensure guaranteed supply of competitively-priced gas for households and businesses.
 
The NT’s independent inquiry found that even small-scale developments in the Beetaloo could create more than 6,500 fulltime jobs and positive economic impacts of up to $2.8bn for the Northern Territory and over $9bn for Australia as a whole over 25 years.
 
The $8.4m is for environmental baseline work, a feasibility study and an Aboriginal economic strategy to support development of the Beetaloo.
 
The $1.5m feasibility study will specifically identify projects that could be accelerated to increase availability of gas into domestic markets, and also investigate options to support gas flows to Darwin for export or use in downstream gas industries.
 
Matt Canavan
Minister for Resources and Northern Australia
 
Photo: Lingiari candidate for the CLP, Jacinta Price.
 
UPDATE April 19: We have asked Ms Price to respond to Graeme Sawyer’s comment.
 
 
 

1 COMMENT

  1. Matt Canavan and his cronies may have major debts to repay to the fossil fuel industries in return for their support over the years but we owe these companies nothing.
    In the interests of a reality check, the Pepper inquiry said, “… promises of jobs and growth in the petroleum industry have all too often proven to be illusory.”
    Canavan: “Even small-scale developments in the Beetaloo could create more than 6500 jobs.”
    Yet the Pepper report stated that the Breeze scenario (small-scale) “labour resources over the modelled period equal to an average of 82 full time equivalent jobs”.
    Just 82 jobs. It is important that politicians are held to account for their claims, especially in election periods.

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