First of all: if Gas is a viable industry that serves Australian people and makes a profit, why does it need government assistance? It is an established industry, not path-breaking, nor needing initial support to take off. It is pretty clearly not the future, as it is likely to be superseded if we really do gain emissions targets. Given this, it looks like a taxpayer subsidy, or kickback to people on the National COVID‑19 Commission Advisory Board, who could have the appearance of primarily aiming their recommendations at private benefit.
Second: again as I understand it, the pipelines that are being suggested are massively expensive. If the companies are viable why are they not paying the money? If the companies are not viable, why are we paying for it?
Third: why is money not being spent on electricity infrastructure, where the problems of lack of infrastructure is clear, and the problems of generating commercial builds are also quite clear? Improving electricity infrastructure would benefit a range of industries and, if well designed, provide the energy to help set up industries in Australian Country Towns. This could generate a national resurgence of jobs. Electricity infrastructure benefits everyone, not just a particular set of companies, and helps us to a better future.
Fourth: recent research has shown, that gas drilling sites and gas pipes leak, particularly old pipes in the city. The pipes are hard to monitor and hard to repair (again especially in cities). This leakage does not make gas a low emissions fuel. The methane leakage generates more climate change than carbon dioxide leakage in the short term. Gas companies have little incentive to repair leaking pipes if the leakage is not so bad that it impacts profit, or is likely to cause a major explosion.
Fifth: given the known problems with greenhouse gas emissions, why are taxpayers funding a source of energy that will help endanger the country? Gas emissions will help increase droughts, poison water and destroy the farming sector.
Sixth: in many places there are issues with gas contaminating bore water – particularly on the Eastern side of Australia. Much of Australia depends on bore water. While it may be possible that gas companies can absolutely guarantee that no bore water will be affected for 20-30 years (the difficulties of tracing pollution makes it impossible to be sure), they cannot guarantee safety over hundreds of years. Concrete rots, steel and welding decays, natural phenomena add stress over time. If we want to preserve our farming industry we have to think in terms of thousands of years, especially given the likelihood of increasing severity of droughts.
Seventh: if the EU, China, or the US installs Carbon tariffs which seems likely, as there is no reason they should protect foreigners who, from their point of view, freeload on carbon emissions, then taxpayers are helping to undermine Australia’s export industries.
The whole project of a gas lead recovery, seems to be a way to trap Australia into greenhouse gas emitting fuels, and to endanger our future prosperity. It should be abandoned.
Tags: fossil fuels, pandemic
Climate, technology and chaos Blog 
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