Rejecting a gas exploration project is a huge call, when we’re so short of gas thanks to our global warming politicians

While Donald Trump is promising to “drill, baby, drill”, the close-minded Albanese government has announced it will “ban, baby, ban”.

Donald Trump promised Americans he’d “drill, baby, drill” for gas the day he’s sworn in as President.

In contrast, the Albanese government last week announced it would ban, baby, ban.

Talk about economic sabotage.

On Friday, Industry Minister Ed Husic said he was stopping Asset Energy from exploring for gas off the NSW Central Coast – near the marginal seats of Robertson, Mackellar and Warrigah, held by Labor and Teals.

It’s a huge call, when we’re so short of gas thanks to our global warming politicians.

Industry Minister Ed Husic said he was stopping Asset Energy from exploring for gas off the NSW Central Coast. Picture: Martin Ollman

EnergyQuest warns there’s only enough gas for just 70 per cent of what NSW needs for winter 2026.

Victoria will even have to import gas from overseas from 2028 to keep heaters burning.

But Husic said something called the Commonwealth-NSW Offshore Petroleum Joint Authority had recommended this Pep11 project be stopped for “reasons of public interest”.

It had “concerns about the applicants’ estimate of the cost of works and their ability to raise the necessary capital”.

I assumed this impressive sounding Authority was packed with scientists and economists who knew better than the company itself if it could turn a profit. But this authority is just Husic himself and a fellow-travelling minister from the NSW government.

Don’t think the Liberals are any better, or that they’ll now protest this deeply political decision.

Scott Morrison as prime minister wanted to win the same seats, and also vowed to block the gas project: “I want to make it absolutely crystal clear that’s not something I support.”

He then banned it, after appointing himself the alternative Resources Minister.

It was a total fail politically, and also legally. A judge later overturned Morrison’s ban, ruling it was “inflected with apprehended bias”, given he had shown his “implacable opposition” to the project before deciding it under the law.

The judge told the Albanese government to go through the same decision-making process, but this time fairly.

As if. Hasn’t this government shown the same closed mind?

In 2021, before the last election, Anthony Albanese promised: “A Labor government that I lead will rule out Pep11. Unequivocal. Full stop. Exclamation mark.”

And now he has. How much more of this nonsense before our gas fires go out and energy firms give up trying to power what’s left of our economy?