DOMESTIC GAS RESERVATION
POLICY — RENEWABLE ENERGY
837. Hon TIM CLIFFORD to the minister representing the
Minister for Energy:
I refer to the response provided to
question without notice 817.
(1) Will the
minister please explain how reducing domestic gas use in WA will increase
emissions in other parts of the world?
(a) Will the
minister please detail specifically which parts of the world would see
emissions increase if WA reduced its reliance on domestic gas?
(2) Given gas is
the leading cause of WA's rising greenhouse gas emissions—according
to the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory—and, by the government's
own acknowledgement in question without notice 1209, methane is at least 28
times more carbon intensive than carbon dioxide, why does the McGowan
government continue to mislead WA about the impact of gas on the climate crisis?
(3) Will the
minister please table the modelling that demonstrates how many jobs are created
per $1 million investment in gas?
(4) Will the
minister please table the modelling that demonstrates how many jobs are created
per $1 million investment in renewable energy and storage?
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
This is on behalf of the Minister
for Energy. I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. The
following information has been provided to me by the Minister for Energy.
(1) Domestic gas
is used by any number of different sectors and businesses to process resources,
produce products and deliver services in Western
Australia. It is a major, critical, underpinning for our economy. If the supply of gas were to be constrained, or the
price driven up, large numbers of jobs in Western Australia would be at
risk. Those businesses and jobs would look to move to where they can access
reliable and affordable energy. This risk
can be clearly seen on the east coast of Australia, where Australian gas is
being offered to businesses at prices that are significantly higher than
the price of Australian gas in places like Japan. The Australian Competition
and Consumer Commission's gas inquiry published an interim report on
this just a few days ago, on 17 August 2020.
(a) As the
Government has absolutely no intention of seeing jobs move offshore, we have
not investigated which countries might take over production from WA businesses
and therefore increase their emissions.
(2) Gas is
responsible for a large proportion of Western Australia's greenhouse
gas emissions. That is a better position to be in, from an emissions
perspective, than if WA were heavily reliant on coal, as are the large eastern
states and many of our international competitors. It is not misleading for the
government to say, as we have been saying, that gas will play an essential role
in the transition to a lower emissions future. For example, it provides
important backup to a secure, reliable and affordable electricity supply as
renewables increase.
(3)–(4) The government has
not carried out or commissioned such modelling.