Queensland leaders warn new federal laws will 'sacrifice' northern gas projects
Senator Susan McDonald has launched an attack on federal environmental reforms they claim will cripple the region's gas industry and economic future. WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY
The federal government’s new environmental laws have sparked a furious backlash from Northern Australian leaders, with Shadow Minister for Northern Australia Senator Susan McDonald warning that the region’s economic future is being sacrificed in a deal that Premier David Crisafulli recently described as “disastrous with a capital D”.
Senator McDonald said that the Albanese Government’s partnership with the Greens to reform the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act had effectively placed North Queensland’s critical gas projects in the “slow lane”.
To secure Greens support, Labor agreed to prevent coal and gas projects being fast-tracked, and phase out the exemptions for native forest logging and high-risk land clearing.
“Despite weasel-words from the government about the importance of gas, their track record speaks for itself: market interventions, failed offshore reforms, no new offshore acreage, and gas in the slow lane under the EPBC changes,” Senator McDonald said.
She said delays would hit North Queensland hardest, particularly impacting the development of the North Bowen and Galilee basins — essential for future domestic supply.
She warned that as Labor prepares to release its Gas Market Review, the region was facing a “double whammy” of regulatory brakes and market intervention.
“Our gas market has suffered after three long years of Labor’s damaging interventions,” Senator McDonald said.
She said the issue was a betrayal of Australian families who relied on affordable power for their “aircon in summer, or heating in winter”.
“Let’s be very clear, we have been promised over and over again by political parties ‘we’re going to get rid of the red tape,’ this is just another red tape,” he said.
Chief executive of Townsville Enterprise Claudia Brumme said gas was critical to sustaining and growing North Queensland’s mining and manufacturing industry.
“These industries and indeed all of North Queensland rely on affordable and reliable gas to remain open and globally competitive” she said.
“We cannot allow a future where jobs and investment are at risk because our region pays more for essential energy.”
Ms Brumme said the North West Minerals Province had no connection to the National Electricity Market until CopperString was fully delivered.
In response a federal government spokesperson said the reforms were the biggest in the last 25 years.
“All sectors of the economy - including resources, housing and renewables - will benefit from the streamlined approvals processes contained in Labor’s reforms, which the Coalition voted against,” they said.
The spokesperson said the federal government made it “very clear” the laws would be passing from a deal with either the Coalition or the Green, but said the Coalition were “so distracted by their internal divisions that they were not able to work out what they wanted”.
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Originally published as Queensland leaders warn new federal laws will 'sacrifice' northern gas projects
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