Nick Xenophon (SA, Nick Xenophon Team) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) Australia is a country with significant gas resources (conventional natural gas and unconventional gas, including coal seam gas, shale gas and tight gas) estimated by Geoscience Australia to be in the order of 279,819 petajoules (equivalent to around 106 years of gas at current production rates, of which the gas reserves account for 47 years),

  (ii) Australian energy consumers are entitled to reliable, efficient and long-term gas supply on fair and reasonable terms,

  (iii) many Australian energy consumers are paying more for gas per unit than Australian gas is being sold for overseas,

  (iv) many countries have mechanisms in place that ensure their domestic energy consumers have reliable, efficient and long-term gas supply on fair and reasonable terms, including:

(A) mandatory percentages of extracted gas being reserved for domestic use,

(B) reserves secured through state-owned gas supply companies, and

(C) a public interest test prior to the grant of export approval, and

  (v) Western Australia requires commitments from gas producers for the equivalent of 15 per cent of gas from new offshore developments to be available for domestic use; and

(b) calls on the Government to introduce a public interest test for gas producers which has regard to, amongst other things, reliable, efficient and long-term domestic gas supply to Australian energy consumers on fair and reasonable terms.