From Adelaide to the back blocks of Queensland, the passage of federal laws to cap the price of gas sparked a wave of gloom in the industry.
There were complaints about the "Soviet-style" intervention and Australia's slide into the realm of tin-pot nations, and claims the laws amounted to "Armageddon" on the industry which would all but kill off investment.
But on the other side of the country, a remarkable race is underway between three of Western Australia's – and the country's – richest people to secure a share of the state's burgeoning onshore gas industry.
