Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King asserts there’s ‘no uncertainty’ on North West or Japanese LNG trade

Resources Minister Madeleine King has hosed down North West Shelf approvals pressure and threats made by JERA about ditching local LNG over red tape, saying the Japanese giant has a “habit” of raising concerns.

As well as countering doubts that Australia was a reliable energy partner, the Ms King denied there was “uncertainty” surrounding the timing of a Federal Government decision to grant Woodside Energy’s North West Shelf a 50-year extension.

Her comments come as business lobbies Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA and Business Council of Australia hound the Federal Government to make a decision on the $30 billion development by the end of this month, and before a Federal election which must be held on or before May 17.

Environmental groups are staunchly opposed to the development, meanwhile Woodside argues the project is essential for future gas supply.

“It’s not uncertain, it’s far from it,” the Minister told The West Australian at an Energy Exchange Australia conference in Perth on Thursday.

“This is a campaign whipped up about when the State Government had this decision for six years. Woodside changed their plans in the meantime as well, and that’s fine, but we should be under no illusion that, that was six years in the State realm.”

Asked whether a decision on North West Shelf would be made before the end of the month, Ms King said the call belonged to cabinet colleague and Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.

“Her department are obliged to go through all the information they’ve been provided by the State Government,” she said, adding that it was “only reasonable” the department had time to assess the “extraordinary amount of material” that has come with it.

“And the reason that’s important is because if decisions are made in a hasty manner without due consideration, they are eminently challengeable in courts.”

Back-and-forth over paperwork on the decision has caused a tiff between State and Federal regulators, at one point leading WA Energy Minister Reece Whitby to suggest “a nerdy little bureaucrat in an agency in Canberra somewhere” was “trying to cover his butt”.

Responding to reported warnings this week from JERA’s senior vice-president of LNG about Australia having slower approvals and higher costs than the US, Ms King said she and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had reassured Japan “many times” about relying on Australia.

“I met with Minister Muto in January and in Tokyo, and assured him, as I have done many times . . . and as the Prime Minister has done as well, that Australia will remain a reliable supplier of energy,” she said.

“This is sometimes the habit of JERA and other parts of the Japanese economy to raise these things . . . as I’ve reassured them, as well as the Minister, we will remain a reliable supplier of gas.”

JERA executive Hitoshi Nishizawa’s reported comments regarding growing competition in global LNG follow concerns raised by Inpex chief executive Takayuki Ueda, who said last year he had been “concerned” about the regulatory environment in Australia in the past.