CLP leader Lia Finocchiaro calls for gas industry to be opened up, approvals process to be faster

The Opposition has gone on the offensive over the Labor government’s moratorium on onshore gas.

THE Opposition has gone on the offensive over the Labor government’s moratorium on onshore gas.

Delivering her budget reply speech today, CLP leader Lia Finocchiaro said the Territory government had cost the NT jobs through slow approvals.

“ (Mr Gunner) has dragged its feet on the onshore gas manufacturing industry, and business has had to deal with regulatory goalposts being constantly shifted and expanded,” Ms Finocchiaro said.

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“Approval times for mining exploration licenses take four-and-a-half years in the Northern Territory, just eight months in Western Australia,” she said

Ms Finocchiaro said the CLP supported making approvals more efficient “while ensuring that environmental regulations are fully compliant”.

“What we need now is for the Gunner government to get in there and genuinely back the gas industry,” she said.

Opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro in parliament. Picture: Katrina Bridgeford

However, Deputy Chief Minister Nicole Manison said today the government was “working together for offshore gas, onshore gas, leading the way with carbon capture and storage”.

“We’ve made sure we’re backing the gas industry,” Ms Mansion said.

“We have delivered significant additional resources to make sure we’ve got the staff working on developing the gas industry, that we are doing the work to … having sensible, sound regulation of a world class industry,” she said.