Onshore gas industry ‘critical to the Territory’s future’: Liveris

AN onshore gas industry has never been more critical to the NT, says Darwin’s own Andrew Liveris — an adviser to US presidents, Australian prime ministers and international businesses, and now head of the NT’s Economic Reconstruction Commission

Andrew Liveris, head of the Chief Minister’s Economic Reconstruction Commission, says an onshore gas industry is a key link in the chain that will help steer the Northern Territory from rags to riches. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/The Australian

• Terry Mills fails to convince business groups on Territory Alliance anti-fracking policy
• Angry NT business backlash on fracking ban grows larger and louder
• Peak industry, business groups slam Territory Alliance fracking backflip
• Territory Alliance backflips and pledges to ban fracking if elected

AN onshore gas industry and its successful development has never been more critical to the Northern Territory, says the man who is an adviser to US presidents, Australian prime ministers and international businesses, and now head of the Chief Minister’s Economic Reconstruction Commission.

Andrew Liveris describes it as a gift that geology has given the Northern Territory.

Mr Liveris sees it as a key link to the chain that will help steer the Northern Territory from rags to riches.

And it’s not about gas for electrons and power, but value adding to create incredible new industries, thousands of new jobs and lift the Territory to a new, higher place.

“I can count maybe a half a dozen places on earth that have had the opportunity that the Beetaloo gas basin can potentially bring to the Territory,” Mr Liveris said.

“The prospect of a lot of onshore gas rich in the early prospectivity, in components that will enable incredible value add in areas like fertilisers, methanol and petrochemicals, that is very rare.

“So when people talk gas they often make the mistake of thinking it’s gas for electrons, ie: power.

“Gas is a bridging fuel for power but more critically, and almost 90 per cent of the topic in the Territory should not be for electrons, it should be value add to create incredible new industries.

“It could really cement the economy of the Territory in a way that is has never been cemented before.

MORE BUSINESS NEWS

MyDarwin voucher scheme extended for an extra two weeks

Local contractors to get share of $253m NT Defence construction projects

Sneak peek inside almost-complete $12m Turf Club grandstand

“I love gas for LNG too, LNG is a massive earner and we should always have LNG as part of the mix, but we should use the ‘and’ word. LNG and value add.

“As I said there’s not many places on earth that can actually do both and because of that this could be the backbone of a complete new Territory economy if we do it right. Frankly the ability to do it right is right before us right now.

“The next period of time is to set this up so we can get prosperity in the Beetaloo development, the liquids, justify the pipelines and then put a masterplan around the value add in Darwin.”

Mr Liveris said with the new value-add industries that came from Beetaloo gas came new jobs, new Territorians, new construction.

“From studies we have done elsewhere and implemented in the US, Argentina, Canada, in South East Asia and in the Middle East, we have data that shows for every one dollar of gas value, you create somewhere between $15 and $20 of new GDP,” Mr Liveris said.

“So it’s a 15 times to 20 times multiplier. More importantly every job you create in gas exploration and LNG, if you add value to it you create somewhere between eight and 12 jobs in the downstream — high-paying jobs, technician jobs, supply chain jobs, operator jobs, people in maintenance, in automation. These are the sorts of jobs you want to create.

Amazing new NT News subscription offer: $1 a week for the first 12 weeks

“We have evidence in all these international places where that has happened and it can happen in the NT. We have to … get away from our bickering and actually figure a away to actually look at making it happen. A good government will recognise these opportunities.”