SUBMISSIONS NOW CLOSED: THANK YOU FOR TELLING THE SENATE WE WANT A RENEWABLE CORONAVIRUS RECOVERY
The Senate is inquiring into the Australian Government’s response to coronavirus and we asked you to ask them to look into the potential conflicts of interest of the unelected National Covid-19 Coordination Commission (NCCC).
And you did it! 1849 submissions were sent through our page telling the Inquiry that it is vitally important that the NCCC's gas industry connections do not hijack the opportunity for a renewable energy-led recovery. You told them about the critical importance that Australia's post-Covid recovery Commissioners represent a diversity of sectors, and includes representation from farming communities and First Nations peoples.
And you did it! 1849 submissions were sent through our page telling the Inquiry that it is vitally important that the NCCC's gas industry connections do not hijack the opportunity for a renewable energy-led recovery. You told them about the critical importance that Australia's post-Covid recovery Commissioners represent a diversity of sectors, and includes representation from farming communities and First Nations peoples.
Advice from the Committee Secretariat is that they were overwhelmed with submissions and this would not have happened without your direct action.
We will now await public hearings and the eventual handing down of the report in June 2022!
You can keep up to date with the Senate Select Committee on COVID-19 and their inquiry into the handling of Covid-19 here
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The National Covid-19 Coordination Commission is a star-chamber of hand-picked big-business reps with multiple ties to the gas industry.
Some of the Commission’s gas-boosting and gas-links include:
- Comment by the Commission chair that a $2 billion liquid ammonia plant at Narrabri, proposed by Santos and Perdaman Industries, and proposed to be fueled by Santos’ proposed Narrabri Gas Project, ‘tops the list’ of ventures that the NCCC will back.[1]
- One member of the NCCC is CEO of Energy Australia which is a 20% stakeholder in the proposed Narrabri Gas Project.
- Already the Commission is responding to public pressure - one member of the Commission was until just last week the Deputy Chair of gas company Strike Energy, exploring for gas in the Mid West of WA and South Australia. Significant personal shareholdings likely continue.
- One member of the Commission’s Manufacturing Working Group, is on the board of APA Group, a large gas pipeline company which has entered into an agreement with Santos to build a pipeline to deliver gas from the proposed Narrabri Gas Project to market.
The consensus among economists is that we face long term financial impacts from the pandemic.
We need long term, socially, economically and environmentally sustainable solutions to create the pathway out of the current economic downturn. Not more polluting gasfields that risk our farms, water resources and rural communities.