In the early last decade, the federal Labor government made the fateful decision to approve the export of liquified natural gas (LNG) out of Queensland without requiring gas companies to supply Australians first.
Then Federal Resources Minister under the Gillard/Rudd Labor governments, Gary Gray, claimed that domestic gas reservation policies create uncertainty and deter investment, placing the government at odds with Australia’s struggling manufacturing sector, which was desperate for cheaper gas.
“The Australian Government does not agree that domestic gas reservation would keep gas prices down or put more gas into the market”, Gray said in his opening address to the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association conference in Brisbane on 27 May 2013.
