ou don’t see many government ministers turning up at coal conferences these days. The industry will continue for a while – thermal coal power still provides about 60% of electricity on the east coast, andThe same cannot be said for gas, the other fossil fuel that Australia excels at digging up and selling overseas.
This week the annual conference of the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association – the gas and oil industry lobby group – is being held in Adelaide. Speakers include the federal resources minister, Madeleine King, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, and state and territory government representatives., which last year vaulted into the world’s top 10 producers after taking over BHP’s petroleum assets.
There is plenty of independent evidence to say this is nonsense, but the claim that gas is good persists. It is buttressed by some media and the politicians that turn up to assure the industry of its importance.