Unrelenting big-stick intervention in the gas market has created a “mess” that is threatening the survival of manufacturing and risking blackouts for households, according to Senex Energy CEO Ian Davies, who says major policy reforms are needed to prevent investment grinding to a halt.

Mr Davies and fellow gas industry leaders will use a conference in Sydney on Tuesday to urge policymakers to put in place measures that allow for gas development and promote competitive energy markets to head off the worsening risk of supply shortages on the east coast.