The federal government’s proposed 20 percent gas reservation scheme has faced scrutiny at Senate Estimates, after officials were unable to provide figures showing how much gas would remain in Australia under the policy.
Shadow Resources Minister Susan McDonald questioned whether the government had the data to support the state’s intervention into the private gas market.
“I’m hoping you’ve got some data that you base the decision-making on,” Senator McDonald said.
The Albanese government announced plans in April to introduce the domestic gas reservation scheme from July 1, 2027.
Under the proposal, exporters would be required to direct 20 percent of their exports into the domestic market to increase local supply and ease energy prices.
Assistant Minister for Trade Tim Ayres defended the lack of exact figures at this stage of the rollout, saying that the finer details of the policy were still being finalised.
“Because there are some details that are being worked through over the coming eight weeks,” Senator Ayres said.
Confusion Over Gas Numbers
As the hearing continued, officials attempted to explain current export and production figures but used different units of measurement for different regions.
Senior department official Hew Atkin told the committee that the export amount for the East Coast was 1,423 petajoules out of a total production of 1,917 petajoules.
On a West Coast, Atkin noted the figures to him were measured in million tonnes, sitting at 49.9 million tonnes.
Senator McDonald argued that mixing petajoules and million tonnes made it difficult to track how much gas was being produced, exported, and potentially redirected into the local consumers.
Tensions escalated further when department officials were seen looking up conversion metrics during the live questioning.
Senator McDonald accused the department of advising the government on a “massive market intervention” affecting trading partners and domestic producers while “googling the answers.”
“This is shocking,” he said.
Political Pressure Builds
The debate over domestic gas supply has intensified in recent months amid concerns around energy security and global supply disruptions.
Opposition parties have also put forward competing energy policy proposals in recent weeks.
One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson recently proposed a 30 percent rebate or tax break for oil and gas exploration in Commonwealth waters.
Last week, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor called for increased oil and gas production and pledged to scrap the government’s net-zero policies if elected.
“Australia needs energy abundance. We must get busy digging and drilling,” he said.
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