GAS

It’s hard to find a family in my electorate that hasn’t had a connection to our resources industry.  

Gas continues to play a significant role in Western Australia’s economy and will be important as part of the transition to cleaner energy.  

Gas is likely to remain in the energy mix up until 2050 because it will continue to play a role in peaking/back up in a decarbonised economy until we find alternatives.  However, gas is not the fuel of our future. 

Whilst gas is a better option than coal, it is still a fossil fuel and Western Australia must look to renewables to remain globally competitive in the industries of the future. 

About 90% of WA’s offshore gas is exported to trading partners such as Japan and South Korea. 

A balanced approach - expansion of gas 

In terms of expansion of existing gas projects, we need to make good long-term decisions. We owe it to future generations to ensure that any approvals are based on facts, science, and a vision for WA’s economic future. Approving 50-year expansions make it much harder for the rest of the economy to transition. 

I am not opposed to The North-West Shelf project could end up going ahead, provided it still stacks up, once some key conditions are met:

• The Safeguard Mechanism must work effectively;

• The full social and environmental cost of carbon must be considered;

• The offset system must be more robust; and

• Environmental and Aboriginal heritage issues must be satisfactorily addressed. 

There have been recent false and alarmist claims circulating in the media that I would use the approval of the North-West Shelf gas project in any potential minority government negotiations. 

I wholeheartedly rejects that claim and would not use any single project, industry, or issue as a bargaining chip if I became part of any minority government discussions. 

The choice isn’t between gas and nothing.  The real question is whether we’re thinking ahead and setting WA and Australia up for future success and prosperity.