2025-01-04
Roger Cook seemed prepared to risk outrage to go out on a limb for the gas industry by killing the Nature Positive bill, but that action is merely one in a long line of preferential treatment of the gas industry
By Mark Hopwood, a Freo-Tangney member and a Green Issue Co-editor
The Federal Labour Government jammed some 30 bills through parliament in the final sitting week of the year, but the Nature Positive reforms weren’t there despite the Greens finally compromising enough to let them through. The media reports that the bill was dumped by Anthony Albanese after meetings with Roger Cook. Albanese denies it, but Roger Cook was really bullish about his influence. I turned to my mining loving parents and said,
“Gosh, I’m surprised Roger’s gone out so far on a limb with this one. Does he think all Western Australians love to dig things up and burn them? Is that all we do here?”
Even my pro mining liberal rusted parents thought this was an odd stance so soon before an election. Though they don’t blame Woodside for the situation, they agree that our gas industry is oddly favoured by politics and taxation.
I note that we are seeing a lot of gas industry ads on television and the internet right now. It caused me to wonder at the value of these. Does the gas industry feel it needs the positive PR? I looked up some numbers:
The Gas industry employs about 10,000 working in WA, which is only about 0.7% of our working population. It pays around $522M in royalties to the WA government, which is about 0.6% of state revenue. The state government in September passed laws allowing WA onshore gas to be exported, which will likely drive up WA domestic gas prices (as it did in other states). Offshore gas in WA pays royalties to the federal government, not the state government, and oddly, large parts of our offshore gas is exported free of royalties altogether!
I guess the answer is “yes”!
So how odd that Roger Cook is so keen to advocate for this industry that contributes so little to employment and to revenue, and whose proposed expansion would only serve the Federal Government, and only if the Federal Government were to properly tax the industry rather than encourage the ongoing theft we are seeing now! When Albanese says he “gets” Western Australians, I do hope he’s not looking to Roger for advice. Even my parents concede that our gas industry is on a ride too good to be true!
Header photo: Credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/a-bird-sitting-on-a-rock-near-the-ocean-NigcEkrdSJo
[Opinions expressed are those of the author and not official policy of Greens WA]