Australian petroleum industry lobby group drops oil link
Almost 65 years after helping to pioneer the oil industry in Australia, the sector’s all powerful lobby group has decided to drop part of its petroleum links.
The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) has announced it will now be known as the Australian Energy Producers (AEP).
Originally launched in 1959 and previously known by the acronym APEA (Australian Petroleum Exploration Association), the association was born in the pioneering days of oil and gas activity in Australia’s vast and remote inland basins.
Over the following decades it grew into one of the premier lobby groups in the nation, playing a critical role in helping to guide government policy and attract international investment.
It also created one of the country’s premier resource industry events, the annual APPEA conference and exhibition.
Name to reflect change of industry direction
Australian Energy Producers chief executive Samantha McCulloch said it was decided on a name change to reflect the growth and evolution of Australia’s oil and gas industry and the transformation of the nation’s energy system.
“The world is changing, the energy system is changing and our industry has already expanded its focus beyond oil and gas exploration and development to also cover low-carbon fuels and net zero technologies.”
“Our members are leading energy producers, exploring and investing in oil and gas alongside the net zero building blocks of low-carbon hydrogen production and carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technologies.”
“And we power millions of homes and businesses, both here and overseas, while delivering substantial economic benefits to Australia, supporting 80,000 jobs and contributing $16 billion to governments to fund services and infrastructure last year.”
AEP chair and Woodside chief executive officer and managing director, Meg O’Neill, said the identity change as a new phase in the history of the organisation.
“Our diverse membership today represents more than 170 companies that are central to Australia’s economic prosperity, our energy security and the transformation of our energy system,” Ms O’Neill said.
“Our members will continue to build Australia’s energy and economic stories, overcoming technical and logistical challenges to find and produce essential energy, often in some of the most remote places on earth.”
Shaping Australia’s energy future
Ms McCulloch said the industry had a proud history shaping Australia and the region’s energy system over the past 60 years.
“Our members are innovators who pushed the boundaries to establish our energy system and deliver substantial economic benefits to Australians,” she said.
“Our industry helped build Australia, unlocking new economic opportunities that have made Australia a world leading energy supplier.”
“We understand our responsibility to contribute to the discussions, actions and success of the energy transformation and we have the workforce, expertise and infrastructure to help deliver secure, reliable and lower-emissions energy for Australia and our international partners.”
The Australian Energy Producers’ 56 full members are responsible for around 95% of Australia’s oil and gas production.
As the last winner of APPEA’ prestigious JN Pierce Award for Media Excellence I personally feel saddened by the name change, although it is understandable with the growing change to create new “clean” energy developments and the global public angst with the petroleum industry.