Without the faintest whiff of irony, David Byers, chief executive of the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association – the gas lobby in layman’s terms – asked in the AFR today:
Have we reached the stage in Australia where our capacity to take hard public policy decisions is seriously diminished?
It is a question worth asking in an environment characterised by the present federal budget debate, the recent moves against coal seam gas development in NSW and, not so long ago, the Victorian government distancing itself from Peter Reith’s sensible recommendations on that state’s gas supply future.
…Self-interest triumphs again over the national interest. Our high reliance on personal and corporate tax is making it a challenge to even maintain the current levels of income over the medium term, let alone fund the increases required to meet budget outlays. Yet there is vocal resistance to progressively increasing reliance on indirect taxes.
…Australians are quick to criticise political leaders for putting off hard decisions in favour of the sugar hit of the next fortnight’s public opinion poll. But just as we have only ourselves to blame if we allow the Federal Budget to be developed in response to any part of the community that feels it is losing something, we all lose if we allow energy planning to be influenced by the fantasies of those at the fringe of Australian community thinking.
And on it goes, neatly segueing the need to develop more gas, in a hurry, with other national interest priorities like superannuation reform and budget repair.
To be clear, I have no issue with more gas investment if done right. Why not? But APPPEA has never campaigned for anything other than more gas, less environmental scrutiny and no gas reservation policy. And if that is the framework it wants then it does not have Australia’s national interest at heart at all.
The community has serious and reasonable concerns about fracking and coal seam gas extraction near reservoirs, and without gas reservation greater supply will simply go to Asia, which may be good in one way, but will do nothing to bring down local energy prices as well as other costs.
APPEA has the interests of its members at heart and rightly so. But I’m sure they’re not paying for the good of the community.
