A close look at election campaign promises shows major parties still back fossil fuels

The Coalition government, the gas industry lobby group and some Labor MPs claim extracting and burning gas will help reach net zero emissions. Photograph: Justin Benson-Cooper/AAP

Support for fossil fuels is a theme in this election campaign, but you sometimes have to look closely to find the details.

Ten days in, the Coalition has announced or confirmed more than $800m in funding for fossil fuel developments. The biggest commitment was tied up in an “energy and emissions reduction agreement” between the federal Coalition and the Northern Territory Labor government, signed shortly before the government went into caretaker mode and revealed after the campaign began.