Canavan slams gas bans, urges more oil, coal and uranium to cut energy costs

Nationals Senator Matt Canavan has called for Australia to increase gas exploration to help reduce the nation’s energy costs.

“We need to do what Donald Trump’s doing and drill, baby, drill,” Mr Canavan told a national TV news service.

“If we want to get energy prices down, we have to use all of our natural resources [and] stop these artificial bans that we place on ourselves that just tie one hand behind Australia’s back and make all of us pay more.”

Gas bans detrimental

Mr Canavan said that many people in the Liberal National Party have been saying for a long time that the bans on gas development in Victoria and parts of New South Wales have been very detrimental to the country.

“And I wouldn’t stop at gas, though. We need that, but we need to look for oil as well.”

“If you want cheap gas, you’ve got to find oil—over the last 20 years, our oil production has halved.”

High average cost

“That’s a big reason why your gas bills are so high now too, because when you don’t find oil or don’t have as much oil, the average cost of producing the gas in those fields is higher,” Mr Canavan added.

“It’s much, much higher in Australia than it was 20 years ago—so we should be looking for all those things.”

“We should be using our coal resources as well and, of course, our long-term uranium resources.”

Green hydrogen concerns

The senator has also urged Australian politicians to “stop telling lies” about the feasibility of green hydrogen projects.

It follows news that Australia’s largest green hydrogen project has collapsed, with the Queensland government pulling funding from the construction of the $12.5 billion Gladstone plant and pipeline.

“Remember when Labor promised us hydrogen jobs to replace the coal jobs they want to get rid of?”

“Well, where are they? Investors all over the world are walking away from hydrogen because it is too expensive.”