The Climate Council has slammed the Federal Coalition's so-called "National Gas Plan," warning the half-baked scheme would turbocharge climate pollution, and pour billions of taxpayer dollars into a fossil fuel industry that must be phased out.
Energy expert and Climate Council Fellow Joel Gilmore said: "This half-baked scheme is bad for the climate, bad for the economy, and bad for Australian households.
"Spending billions on new gas supply in 2025 is a dud investment. It's wasteful and reckless climate vandalism at a time when Australians are being pummelled by worsening extreme weather fuelled by pollution from coal, oil and gas.
"Gas is polluting and expensive, and it's already being phased out by our major trading partners.
"The Federal Coalition claims it's being tough on industry at the same time that it is handing over $1.3 billion in public money. Taxpayers will be left footing the bill for using more of a polluting fuel that the rest of the world is already phasing down. Gas is only getting more expensive – and wishful thinking won't change that."
The Coalition's plan includes $1.3 billion in funding for new gas infrastructure and projects, and gives gas corporations access to $4 billion of further public support by opening up the Critical Minerals Facility to polluting gas projects. It's clear that the Coalition's vague gas reservation scheme is a distraction from the billions of dollars in public support being handed out.
Amanda McKenzie, Climate Council CEO, said: "Coal-fired power stations are breaking down today, and we need to get more electricity into the system before the lights go out, and our kids' future goes up in smoke."
The Coalition's policy fails on the three big tests:
- Energy security: It does nothing to replace our ageing, coal fire clunkers which will all retire in the next 15 years.
- Electricity costs: It doubles down on expensive energy, gas, while doing nothing to bring on new low-cost power like renewables.
- Climate Change: It increases, rather than decreases climate pollution.
"The Coalition had 10 years in government and 3 years in Opposition to craft a credible energy and climate policy. This brochure was slapped together faster than a Big Mac."
"Australian families need solutions that permanently lower bills and cut pollution, like renewable power backed by storage, not expensive gas that worsens climate extremes.
"Peter Dutton's gas scheme would lock in climate pollution for decades and leave our kids facing worsening floods, fires and heatwaves. These decisions make their lives more dangerous."
The Climate Council, an independent and community-funded organisation, has rated the Coalition's climate and energy policies as Harmful. This policy is more of the same with our analysis showing their policies would increase climate pollution by at least 6.3 billion tonnes. That means more frequent and severe bushfires, floods, and heatwaves for Australians.
Meanwhile, renewable power is already providing 40 percent of Australia's electricity. Backed by batteries and hydro, this is the lowest-cost available source of new energy, and is already directly delivering savings to millions of Australian households.
