Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

This motion isn't just about another of the 116 coal and gas projects in the pipeline; this is about Labor handing out public money to build what would be Australia's biggest ever gas export terminal, using gas piped from Australia's biggest ever fracking field. At the last election the Australian people kicked out the coalition and their gas-fired recovery, which was their bizarre centrepiece for Australia's COVID response. But this new government has regurgitated former prime minister Morrison's gas-fired recovery with one of the single biggest contributions to expanding the toxic and dangerous gas industry—$1.9 billion of taxpayer money will be thrown at the development of the Middle Arm site in Darwin Harbour to enable the expansion of Australia's gas export and petrochemical industry.

For months the Albanese government have tried to pretend that they have nothing to do with enabling fossil fuels with the public money, never mind the billions in fossil fuel subsidies that continue to be in their budget. But they say, 'Oh, it's for solar and batteries and hydrogen.' 'It's a sustainable development precinct,' they said. The word 'petrochemical' was wiped from government websites. They refused to mention the word 'gas', with the minister instead calling them 'low-emission hydrocarbons', which is greenwashing at an epic scale that Woodside and Santos would be proud of.

But, two weeks ago, US fracking company Tamboran announced to the ASX that they had rights to a part of the Middle Arm site to build a gas export terminal that would export 20 million tonnes per annum—bigger than any currently in existence in Australia. So now the Labor government's cover is blown. It is a monumental fossil fuel subsidy. Now that we know that this money is enabling fossil fuel expansion, the Albanese government cannot proceed with a hand-out of $1.9 billion of public money to a gas company in the middle of a climate crisis. All of the coal, oil and gas facilities currently in operation have us on track to break through the safe 1½ degree limit. We have to phase these out, not keep them going. This puts their 2050 target completely out of reach. The government has to choose. (Time expired)