You have previous experience in Australia’s oil and gas industry, namely through your employment at Woodside Energy. What other industry experience do you hold?
I spent six years at Woodside. In this time, I developed a deep appreciation of the importance of government and industry working closely together to meet the challenges facing industry.
Proper consultation and co-operation creates certainty and allows both government and industry to take advantage of each other’s expertise and ensure the sustainability and success of economic growth.
Construction on several major pipeline projects has been affected by Australia’s critical skilled labour shortage. What is your position on the number of 457 Visa workers, and are there any other initiatives you are keen to develop to assist this worker shortage?
In instances where peak workforce needs are not being met from the Australian labour market, skilled migration is critical to help ease capacity constraints and ensure future jobs for Australians.
Whilst the temporary skilled migration stream comprises only a small percentage of the resources sector’s workforce, it has an ongoing importance to large projects being delivered on-time and on-budget.
What is your position on developing a national domestic gas reservation policy? Having a background in Western Australia, do you think the state’s gas reservation policy is effective?
The Federal Government does not support reserving gas for domestic use. Gas reservation policies do not help to bring a greater supply of gas into the market as they act as a disincentive to investment.
The operation of an effective gas market is essential, which is why the Standing Council of Energy and Resources (SCER) is looking at ways to develop a more transparent, efficient and competitive gas market in Australia.
Australia’s under construction LNG projects have almost unanimously experienced major cost blowouts, with some only mid-way through their construction. Will there be any policies, that the federal government will look to develop in order to ensure these projects reach completion?
The Federal Government is working to have the right governance and policy settings in place to ensure Australia remains an attractive investment destination. We are working with industry to develop stable regulatory frameworks and clear policy direction to contribute to lasting solutions.
Ongoing reviews of offshore petroleum regulation to remove areas of regulatory overlap and reduce the regulatory burden on industry help to reduce costs. The Government is committed to minimising duplication of requirements between the offshore petroleum legislation and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conversation Act (EPBC Act), in particular via accreditation of the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority and the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act (Environment Regulations) under the EPBC Act.
We as a nation must be conscious of the cost of delivering projects in Australia and to remain competitive through efficient use of increased export capacity and productivity improvements.
The New South Wales and Queensland state governments have recently implemented major pieces of policy relating to the coal seam gas industry. Will you be looking to develop a federal-level CSG policy?
The Government supports mining across Australia subject to appropriate regulatory, safety and environmental approvals.
The Government is working with states and territories to develop a National Harmonised Regulatory Framework to provide a guidance and reference tool for Federal, state and territory government regulators.