CAMERON MILNER: Anthony Albanese caves to Greens’ anti-resources demands

In the whirlwind end to Parliament for the year its worth noting the deal the Greens extracted from Labor over banning Federal Government financial assistance to oil, gas and coal.

While WA Premier Roger Cook and the Prime Minister were taking turns stabbing the very capable Tanya Plibersek in the back over the nature positive laws and a new Federal EPA, Albanese was doing a deal to further isolate our massive gas sector that’s overwhelmingly WA based.

In the hurry and flurry to get legislation moving Anthony Albanese cut the deal with the Greens and gulped down the legislative laxative on offer. The deal came with the jagged pill of dumping the funding of any oil, gas or coal from both the Future Made for Mates Bill as well as the Export Finance Australia facility.

This is yet again Labor undermining the resources sector and virtue signalling to inner city elites. This is saying oil, gas and coal aren’t in Australia’s future despite being the backbone of our export economy and the only viable plan to keep domestic power prices down and supply reliable.

As Sydney was threatened with being plunged into darkness as the mercury climbed, the media screamed about the need for energy security and certainty. That certainty is keeping coal fired generation on for longer and firming gas as the transition fuel while renewables overcome lengthy delays.

As this was happening Labor was cutting loose gas and coal from Federal support. Labor looked more desperate than an OnlyFans content producer at Schoolies on the Gold Coast as it did whatever it took to pass close to 40 Bills in 24 hours. As Black Friday loomed for Labor everything was on sale, including Labor’s support for miners and drillers.

Coal is critical to the NSW and Queensland economy likewise oil and gas are to the WA economy, so why attack such vital workforces in order to pass the Sydney Airport Demand Management Bill 2024?

The Future Made for Mates Bill contemplates investing $22b in manufacturing jobs and value adding projects, now no new innovation or value adding from the gas sector will have access to these funds.

Export Finance Australia (EFA) provides vital project financing to Australian companies developing offshore and is often seen by international banks as a vital sign of Australian government support. In the last 15 years the EFA has funded $1.5b to the oil, gas and coal sectors.

Australia is a resources powerhouse and our quality of life, first world services and national wealth is still delivered by the coal we mine and the gas we tap.

Albanese might want Australia to be a renewable energy superpower, but the reality is a ship full of coal or LNG is still the only way to export Australia’s energy to the world.

Back home though our manufacturing sector, even a dodgy quantum computer that hasn’t been built yet needs reliable and cheap power as well as our schools, hospitals and offices to run securely and efficiently.

So as Sydney almost had the lights go out, Labor was showing what governing with the Greens really look like. Adam Bandt even crowed after completely humiliating Albanese by saying ‘Greens pressure works. The Greens now turn to no new coal and gas projects in a coming minority government’.

Labor sensibly under the guidance of renowned resources champion Madeleine King and the ever thoughtful and considered, Tanya Plibersek have seen 28 new coal and gas projects approved under this Labor Government.

The Greens would’ve killed these off and will under an Albanese minority government.

Last week in the Senate was about clearing the decks for an election in early 2025 and it showed that Albanese will deal away vital parts of our resources sector with the Greens at a moment’s notice.

Albanese has shown his hand. While publicly humiliating Plibersek was all about Albo’s insecurities and long-term misogyny against a talented woman he and Bandt were also conniving to cut the throat of the resources sector.

This means even more could be dealt away by Albo to cravenly stay in the Lodge with Bandt’s support after the next election.

Next it will be the Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund (NAIF) that will have gas and coal defunded.

The real threat though will be the Greens demanding an end to the Diesel Fuel rebate for the resources and farming sector.

The rebate is critical to keep Australia competitive and support Aussie jobs. It neutralises the cost of fuel tax for on farm and onsite activities that use diesel — like the trucks, the harvesters, the powerplants and product handling.

The rebate amounted to a $10.2b assistance package for Australia’s economic powerhouses of farming and mining last financial year.

That rebate though is already on the list of Greens demands and Labor has privately flirted with its removal in the past.

Albanese has shown he’ll say anything and promise to do even less to win an election at all costs.

Every current political poll points to minority government where Labor will have to jump into bed with the Greens and Teals in a gross act of political polygamy. Albo’s clearly up for it though as the last week of political deal making has shown.

Very few Australians would’ve had the time to even notice that the Senate passed Labor’s blocked up Bills, so few of them will have any immediate impact on the cost of living or access to housing which are the burning issues for voters.

What Australians will notice though is when resources projects stop and farmers have to charge even more for food as vital support like the Diesel Fuel Rebate are ended in a grubby Albo deal to remain PM.

Last week in the Senate was about clearing the decks for an election in early 2025 and it showed that Albanese will deal away vital parts of our resources sector with the Greens at a moment’s notice.

Voters in Queensland, WA and places like the Hunter won’t miss that direct message come the election and nor should urban communities that benefit from a nation whose wealth is built on the export earnings of the resources and farming sectors.