Business right to lead debate on local gas resources

Santos chief executive Kevin Gallagher’s call to address climate change activists over the development of local gas resources is welcome (“Australia must win war against anti-fossil fuel push: Santos”, 4/1). The activists, who are genuinely concerned about the environment, have effectively communicated their message, and gained significant community support.

While their environmental concern is commendable, their proposed solutions often exacerbate the issues. A notable example is the success of activist organisations in preventing the development of gas resources in NSW. This has led to a reliance on imports and the construction of an LNG import terminal, resulting in expensive, higher-emission gas and compromising energy security. Politicians, reflecting community attitudes, are ill-equipped to lead this debate. Therefore it is crucial for business leaders, such as Gallagher, to actively engage in the discussion – not questioning the validity of climate change itself, but focusing on evaluating and improving the proposed solutions.

Don McMillan, Paddington, Qld

Santos chief executive Kevin Gallagher just may be one of those men whose voice on significant issues has a fair degree of credibility. Gallagher stood firm against federal government pressure for boards of directors to publicly support the Indigenous voice to parliament.

Gallagher rightly made the point that neither his opinion nor Santos as a company should be influencing a public referendum. In relation to the company’s core business as a globally secure energy provider of fossil fuels, Gallagher says the country is at risk of being dangerously idealistic. “My biggest concern is for energy security and affordability, both at home and for our trading partners in Asia who rely on us for the energy that drives their economies,” he says. This is clearly not a man who is driven or even unduly influenced by political ideology. Gallagher would appear to be a man who is both competent and credible. Are these not the attributes that should be commonly found in our political establishment? Why is Gallagher needing to publicly state what is so blindingly obvious?

John Barrow, Buderim, Qld

As Santos chief executive Kevin Gallagher says, Australia is in the middle of an anti-fossil fuels war But Gallagher can relax: gas is not the main target. It is coal that the fossil fuel haters have their guns trained on.

Gallagher says the country was at risk of being dangerously idealistic, stating: “My biggest concern is for energy security and affordability, both at home and for our trading partners in Asia who rely on us for the energy that drives their economies.”

If we want an idea of how idealistic Australia is becoming, we need to look at the Albanese government. Its mission is to run our coal-fired power stations out of business and to hoist weak, inefficient, weather-dependent renewables in their place. Since our shift to renewables, the overall cost of energy has soared.

In response, Anthony Albanese says he would look at Band-Aid measures such as further subsidies to energy bills (“PM flags relief on cost of living”, 4/1), while at the same time adding fuel to the fire with his reckless plan to have more than 80 per cent of renewable energy in the system by 2030.

Dale Ellis, Innisfail, Qld

As most of us now know, something isn’t right with renewables. We also feel a hint of frustration, if not anger, when we look closely at our blind rush to remove CO2 emissions from our lives.

Governments are forcing us to move to electric cars that we don’t want; chief executives are coming up with inane ideas. We have mining companies that replace perfectly good diesel trucks with more expensive ones running on more expensive renewable energy just to show how woke they are.

We try to stop our cattle from burping and we reassure ourselves that an artificial steak tastes better than a natural one. All of these hare-brained ideas cost money and eventually they will be seen to have been unnecessary. Our future generations will pay the bill and look back at us wondering how we could’ve been so silly. Obviously we should be looking at new ways to generate energy. Hydrogen may be an answer, but until we can prove it is cheaper, let alone safer, we have more than enough coal and gas to last us for hundreds of years. Meanwhile, we ignore the answer to all our problems: nuclear power.

Ross McDonald, Gordon, NSW