Gas

Australia’s biggest proposed industrial development is looking on increasingly shaky and unsecured ground, with Woodside this week announcing it was asking the Federal Government for a year-long extension on making a final investment decision on its contentious Kimberley gas plant.

That comes less than two weeks after Western Australian Supreme Court Chief Justice Wayne Martin handed the James Price Point gas project its biggest setback by ruling that the WA Government had acquired the land illegally.

The Chief Justice found that the government had botched its rushed attempt to compulsorily acquire the land 60 kilometres north of tourist gateway Broome after negotiations between the government, Woodside and the Kimberley Land Council stalled last year.

Continue reading "The gas project born in a cross-fire hurricane" »

A well-intentioned old mate has led Tony Abbott into an ambush which could expose the Opposition Leader to the charge he is an empty policy vessel.

Abbott has damaged his close ties with the mining industry by appearing to back the right of land owners to deny access to those search for oil and gas deposits.

At issue is the coal seam gas industry in Queensland, the target of some $45 billion worth of projected investment. Further, he has alarmed the sector by pledging to stand up against foreign investment.

Continue reading "Abbott’s policy vacuum bites him on the bum" »

Australian women hate nuclear power. Men quite like it, but women would rather go back to candles.

This is the startling finding of Auspoll’s latest research, a poll of 1,500 Australians’ attitudes to the sticky problem of how we should generate the energy to run our homes, industries and, well, everything.

Not so long ago we never thought much about energy - flick a switch and there it is. We hardly knew nor cared how it was generated, how it got to our kitchens or what fuel ran the generator. It was enough that the lights came on.

Continue reading "Men vs. women - it’s a (nuclear) power thing" »