The Federal Government is formulating a Future Gas Strategy for Australia. We prepared our submission at the last minute in about 24 hours.

Our current Federal Labor Government have resource policies in expanding gas field development, expansion of carbon capture and storage, allowed use of carbon credits as part of the Safeguard mechanism to expand gas.

Gas is not a Transition fuel, although it may help in the short term in managing the energy transition in the power sector. The Future of gas is small and dwindling argues the Climate Council in this myth-busting article.

The Climate science says unequivocally we need to phase out all fossil fuels: coal, oil and gas, as rapidly as possible. We already have more fossil fuels in production that will carry us past the temperature commitments of the Paris Agreement as shown in the UNEP Production Gap and Emissions Gap reports

We went through and answered in detail the questions in the consultation paper survey, as we found appropriate. We pulled together 35 recommendations/ advocacy positions to the Federal Government.

Our key insights and recommendations for a Future Gas Strategy for Australia:

1. Future Gas Strategy should be driven by science and need to phase out fossil fuels.
2. Domestic and business gas users should electrify as quickly as possible
3. The health impacts of using gas should be more actively promoted. 
4. Energy retailers should be banned from advertising Fossil Gas. 
5. There should be a phase out transition period for the sale of gas based consumer appliances.
6. Incentive programs should be available to overcome cost barriers for consumers and businesses for electrification upgrade of appliances.
7. Extend Victoria’s Ban new gas connections for both residential developments and state government buildings nationally.
8. Roll out Grid batteries and pumped hydro-electricity to firm renewables as an alternative to gas in electricity production.
9. Green hydrogen may have a role as a long term storage fuel for power, Main priority for Green hydrogen should be in decarbonising fertilisers, chemical feedstock for oil refining and petrochemical production, green metals manufacturing, including steel and aluminium, and ammonia as a fuel for shipping. 
10. A small role for carbon capture, utilisation and storage in hard to abate sectors and industrial processes where electrification and hydrogen use is unsuitable. That should not be extended to justification for new coal, oil or gas projects.
11. For LNG producers, the first-order task is for fossil fuel companies to slash emissions from company operations (without recourse to land based offsets).
12. LNG plants should upgrade to electrification of liquefaction process to reduce emissions
13. Accurate independent reporting of all CO2 emissions in LNG supply chains, and what efforts have been made to decarbonise those supply chains. 
14. Decarbonise LNG shipping by use of green ammonia as a fuel.
15. We see no future in methane + hydrogen blends or hydrogen in the residential and commercial sector established gas distribution pipe network.  
16. Australia should be talking with nations buying our gas on their climate targets and transition plans. Gas needs to be managed both from a demand side and a supply side, and the least bumpy route for this is through collaboration and cooperation.. 
17. LNG production needs to be phased out in the long term to be replaced by export of green hydrogen, ammonia, processed metals, critical minerals, and some direct energy export (via High Voltage DC underwater cables to Asia).
18. LNG Company Operations should be decarbonised without using land use measures (offsets) 
19. Australia should not consider releasing more acreage for exploration for gas, based on the climate science and climate targets
20. The PRRT needs to be amended to increase the return from windfall profits from existing offshore gas fields.
21. Australia should agree to the Port Vila Call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific.
22. Australia should join the call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty
23. Enact better Lobbying laws for transparency, 
24. Enact real-time political donations register with a cap on donations.
25. Transparency on domestic and total emissions for each project, 
26. Reduce and manage fugitive emissions as per Global Methane Pledge. 
27. Update methodology for reporting methane emissions to reflect under-reporting bias.
28. Human rights and environmental protection must be accorded maximum consideration in project consultation and development.
29. Carbon Capture and Storage should not be used to justify new gas field development. There are commercial risks, permanence risks, which are ultimately transferred to the public domain. CCS has a niche role in hard to decarbonise industrial processes. 
30. CCS projects need to have continuous independent monitoring,and 
    extensive backup plans.
31. LNG import terminals should not be considered. 
32. Gas shortages predicted for 2026-2027 for Victoria are due to a lack of Gas reservation policy for the East Coast gas distribution network. This has been a failure in government oversight and regulation of the gas sector and managing gas production for domestic use. A local east coast gas reservation policy should be introduced, similar to the policy operating in Western Australia.
33. Need for an active electrification program at State and Federal levels for all states and particularly Victoria to move off residential and business gas use and  consumption.
34. The workforce for fossil fuels is highly skilled, but there is no reason many of these people could not transfer into high paying jobs in Critical Minerals exploration and mining and clean energy such as offshore wind farm development and maintenance. Some transitional training may be useful.
35. Transitioning off gas is a decreasing user base/ upward price spiral. The transition of gas should be closely managed and regulated by governments, but the transition is essential to make. Victoria’s Gas Substitution Framework provides some guidance for action at the Federal level and other states. 

Read our full submission below:

This submission was developed from our our own experience. knowledge and perpective. Australian Conservation Foundation have also submitted a detailed submission (PDF) which also features important recommendations and advocay points.

Lead Image: Fund our Future Not Gas. Boggabri, 2020. Photo by Kari Donaldson/Flickr CC BY 2.0 DEED Attribution 2.0 Generic