Australian taxpayers absolutely should not be forced to subsidise the unstable and polluting gas industry, nor should communities who have spent more than a decade fighting gasfields suddenly have them forced upon them, according to Lock the Gate Alliance.
Responding to a leaked report from a manufacturing taskforce advising the National Covid-19 Coordination Commission (NCCC) LTGA national coordinator Naomi Hogan said renewable energy was the way to supercharge Australian manufacturing, not gas.
“If we want plentiful, clean and low price energy for Australian businesses, we must look to solar, wind, batteries, and pumped hydro,” she said.
“With the billions of dollars the gas industry wants to pay for their pipelines and fracking fields, we could get Aussie manufacturing onto efficient renewable energy for the long-term.
“Australia’s natural advantage is our low cost solar. The sooner we stop wasting our cash on gas, the better.
“Sunshine can be the feedstock of our Aussie manufacturing success – not dirty and unstable gas.”
Ms Hogan said it was little surprise the NCCC and its manufacturing taskforce, which contain members with deep links to the gas industry, were pushing the fossil fuel.
“The Morrison Government needs to have a serious rethink of its gas industry-linked Covid Commission,” she said.
“Farmers and Traditional Owners are fighting to protect water and health up against these polluting and water-guzzling gas fracking companies. We cannot afford to sell out food growers for a few gas-linked government pals.”