Let us recall the liars the thieves of Australia’s mining narco-state:
Shell and Woodside Energy have extended a suspension to enter into new supply contracts until details about the government’s proposed “reasonable price” provision, sources said.
The treasonous Opposition is still egging them on supported by suicide squads at The Australian and AFR.
Electricity futures are back above $100MW/h, enough to add 5% to CPI, lift the cash rate another huge leg higher, crush house prices by an additional 20%, and rip scores of billions out of every household and business east of WA:
In short, Woodside and Shell are directly threatening Australian sovereignty, its economy, and national security.
The ACCC is on the move:
Competition tsar Gina Cass-Gottlieb has warned gas producers to resume offering new supply contracts within one to two weeks or face compliance action, as Santos posts record revenues for 2022 in a quarterly report likely to further fuel angst about rising gas prices.
The all-time-high for Santos sales of $US7.8 billion ($11.2 billion) in the year to December 31 came as the producer also disclosed that its east coast domestic customers are paying less than half the prices paid by Asian export customers on average – cold comfort to uncontracted manufacturers facing much higher temporary tariffs.
Ms Cass-Gottlieb, chairwoman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, said the ACCC was keen to work with producers to resolve any remaining queries about the rules around the new $12 a gigajoule price cap, but producers needed to offer gas in compliance with the new regime.
“If having worked through the situation then they don’t comply, we will investigate it and [may] well move to proceed on an enforcement basis,” she told The Australian Financial Review.
“We are making ourselves available, we are hoping to address matters in the coming week, two weeks. We don’t want this to extend longer.”
The gas narcos are still getting off very lightly. Their behaviour is beyond the pale and the response should be proportionate. Albo should be preparing must harsher sanctions, most notably severe export levies to end the war-profiteering.
Meanwhile, in NSW, the coal narcos are just as bad:
BHP could be forced to supply coal at cost to NSW power generators, as miners criticised state Treasurer Matt Kean’s plans to establish a domestic coal reservation in the state.
New figures from BHP show its costs of delivering coal to NSW power stations could be above the price cap for coal in the state, suggesting the mining major could be forced to reroute coal from lucrative export markets to meet a projected shortfall in domestic supply.
The Australian revealed on Thursday Mr Kean planned to issue orders requiring all thermal coal producers in the state to reserve 7 to 10 per cent of their annual production for NSW coal-fired power plants, drawing in major producers such as BHP, Yancoal and Whitehaven Coal.
It is understood the NSW government was forced to scramble to find new sources of supply after existing producers contracted to supply NSW coal-fired stations warned of a possible shortfall ahead of winter, with poor weather and labour shortages likely to hinder mining operations.
Riiight. It has nothing to do with shipping every gram of dirt into the $370 per tonne export markets. The public can no longer trust a single word coming from the mining narcos.
It is truly remarkable that not one Australian narco-miner has stood up and said we need to man up for the country that birthed us.
They deserve the full force of any law that they haven’t already bought.
