Surat gas supplies on radar
Nicholls pledges more CSG development
OPPOSITION leader Tim Nicholls has promised investment in regional employment and more gas development in the Surat Basin.
The leader of the Liberal National Party laid out a series of pre-election commitments at the first of the Political Leaders Series hosted by Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise yesterday.
Mr Nicholls told the 100-strong crowd at the Empire Theatre the LNP would ramp-up coal seam gas exploration and development, as well as commit to more funding for tourism and local governments, if it was elected.
Addressing the widely-reported east coast gas shortage, Mr Nicholls said Queensland should continue to uncover more gas resources.
“We believe the best way to deal with gas shortages is to have more of it, and properly regulated and controlled. We very much support more exploration and more opportunities to develop CSG,” he said.
“It’s a transitional fuel and there’s a huge appetite for it on the east coast and across the world, so in order to meet that demand, we need more of it.
“We support the development of the CSG industry and I think in our term together with the Gasfields Commission, we managed to deal with the conflicts between property owners and companies seeking to develop gas.”
He also took aim at governments in NSW and Victoria for failing to invest in more gas exploration.
“I firmly believe that the reason we now have shortages is because there hasn’t been responsible gas production in NSW and Victoria, and we’re paying the price for it,” he said.
Questions at the event covered broad topics such as road infrastructure, youth unemployment, and tourism, but the LNP leader stopped short of specific investment promises for the Toowoomba region.
When asked by TSBE executive chairman Shane Charles about how governments could encourage farmers and regional businesses to explore exporting, Mr Nicholls admitted it was not the role of government to remove risk.
“The role of government is opening up new markets, so Indonesia has been difficult to get into, but we’re not there to remove the risk to businesses,” he said.
“The risk of it is the risk of the private sector.
“I don’t think anyone believes governments are great at risk or reward, so the risk is there.
“Ultimately, the decision as to whether you choose to engage in the export market is a decision for the business.”
The next edition of the series on June 7 will feature One Nation’s state leader Steve Dickson and party founder Pauline Hanson.