Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for the question. The Minister for Resources and I are conducting a review into our gas policy settings, as is very necessary, because we believe that Australian industry—including Australian heavy industry—those Australian homes that use gas for heating, and the gas-fired power peaking stations that we have in the grid do require access to Australian gas at reasonable prices. That's why we're undertaking that review in a careful, methodical way. We aren't doing as those opposite did and making a policy which the industry, in hours, clearly said wouldn't work. We're undertaking a very heavy consultation process. We've already received many submissions, which we're working through.

I don't accept that there's a premise to our review, other than the fundamental principle that we do have a plentiful supply of gas in Australia and we need to ensure that supply is available for Australian uses. We will continue to make the point that gas is necessary to underpin our transition to renewables. It's a very flexible type of fuel. Gas-fired power stations can be turned on and off at very short notice, unlike coal and nuclear. Heavy industry relies on gas, and five million Australian homes rely on gas. For that purpose, we are undertaking the review. We have three policy mechanisms that are reaching the end of their scheduled lives. It's appropriate that there be a full, comprehensive and methodical review, and that's exactly what the Minister for Resources and I are doing.

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