Anthony Albanese is facing an internal revolt with Labor backbenchers pushing back against the government’s support for new gas production.
Five inner-city MPs have criticised the government’s gas strategy, arguing it will overshadow progress on clean energy.
The backbench MPs Josh Burns, Jerome Laxale, Sally Sitou, Josh Wilson and Carina Garland issued statements that either criticised or urged caution about the government’s future gas strategy, released on Thursday. Late in the day, Ged Kearney, the assistant minister for health and aged care, issued her own statement, saying Australia could “not draw out our reliance on fossil fuels any longer than is necessary”.
The strategy, released by the resources minister, Madeleine King, argued gas was an important part of the transition to net zero emissions and that Australia would need new sources of it to meet demand “to 2050 and beyond”.
Critics said some of the language mirrored that used by the gas industry to argue gas was part of the solution to the climate crisis despite it leading to substantial greenhouse gas emissions when burned.
Some Labor MPs have raised concern with the tone of the announcement and the message it sent. They feared the spotlight on gas expansion might undermine support from progressive communities concerned about whether Labor’s plans to deal with the climate crisis were serious.
Burns, the MP for Macnamara in inner-suburban Melbourne, was the first to break ranks and raise concerns about the gas policy. He said Australia should “not prolong fossil fuels”.
“In my opinion, not a cent of public money should be spent on new gas or resources projects that don’t help us transition us to a low-emissions economy,” he said. “There’s so much more to do and Australia needs real, feasible policies to take climate action seriously.”
Kearney, who faces a challenge from the Greens in her seat in Melbourne’s inner north, said her position as a local member was clear: “there should be no public money spent on new gas or coal projects.”
“Our future lies in renewable energy. We cannot draw out our reliance on fossil fuels any longer than is necessary.”
Wilson, the member for Fremantle, said: “gas will be part of that transition for a longer period than coal, but for no longer than necessary.”
The strategy includes six principles underpinning the government’s policy, including a commitment to reaching net zero emissions by 2050, gas remaining affordable for Australians throughout the transition to net zero, and Australia remaining “a reliable trading partner for energy, including LNG [liquefied natural gas] and low emission gases”.
It said new sources of gas supply would be needed to meet demand during the transition and that reliable gas supply would “gradually and inevitably” shift towards supporting areas of higher value or where there was not a substitute for gas.
King said: “The strategy makes it clear that gas will remain an important source of energy through to 2050 and beyond, and its uses will change as we improve industrial energy efficiency, firm renewables, and reduce emissions.
“But it is clear we will need continued exploration, investment and development in the sector to support the path to net zero for Australia and for our export partners, and to avoid a shortfall in gas supplies.”
The Greens were sharply critical of the policy, and threatened to withhold support for Labor’s legislative agenda if Labor backed a gas expansion. The government relies on the support of the Greens in the Senate to pass legislation when the Coalition is opposed.
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, called the government “climate frauds”, saying they were backing fossil fuels “past 2050 while scientists ring alarm bells and the planet boils”. He argued Labor’s gas policies were “worse than [former Liberal prime minister] Scott Morrison”, who promised a “gas-fired recovery” and dedicated subsidies to the industry.
Laxale, the MP for Bennelong in Sydney, said he believed the government needed “to be moving away from fossil fuels, not championing them”.
“While we know that many in the community understand the role of gas in the transition away from fossil fuels, particularly after 10 years of climate neglect and denial by the Liberals, our government should continue to execute this transition as quickly as possible. This will remain my focus,” he said.
Sitou, from the Sydney seat of Reid, called for a “transition as quickly as possible off fossil fuels and on to renewable energy”.
Wilson, whose WA seat of Fremantle neighbours King’s seat of Brand, said: “Let me be crystal clear in saying that climate change action requires fossil fuels to depart the scene in the course of a sensible and vitally important global energy transition.”
Garland, of the Melbourne seat of Chisholm, also stressed her support for renewable energy.
