Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

r RUSTON (—) (): This amendment would mean that no funding could be spent on the Beetaloo basin drilling program which provides entities incorporated in Australia with funding to accelerate exploration and appraisal of activities in the Beetaloo basin. Sadly, this is typical of the Greens: in a budget delivered by Labor that shows that gas prices and energy prices will rise, they want to reduce the supply of gas. The Northern Territory Beetaloo basin is one of the largest undeveloped onshore gas resources in the world. The development of this resource has the potential to create 6,000 jobs by 2040, transform the Northern Territory's economy and supply gas into domestic markets for decades to come. It is disappointing that the Greens are so detached from reality that they continue to talk down a vital Australian industry that provides jobs and funds services across the country and will assist Australia's energy supply into the future.