Editorial: Greens deals risk our economic security

At the last election, just one in eight Australians voted for the Greens.

While their 12.5 per cent was a high point, it is worth highlighting that 87.5 per cent of Australians did not support the radical left party.

Despite this, since the election the group has behaved with an inflated sense of political relevance.

Emboldened by their biggest electoral result, the Greens have used their influence to push their radical ideas supported by just a small minority of voters.

On Labor’s nature positive laws, senior mining industry officials descended on Canberra last week, to warn Labor of cutting a deal with the Greens.

The groups mounted pressure on the Coalition to come to the bargaining table on the laws, something the Opposition refused.

Another significant policy fight the party is continuing to wage is against new gas projects — highlighted by a spate of attacks against Woodside.

The Greens’ policy seeks a freeze on all new coal, oil and gas projects in the supporting infrastructure, citing scientific studies that say fossil fuels must stay in the ground if the world is to have any chance of limiting global warming.

“In an emergency, the very first action we have to take is to immediately remove whatever is causing the damage. For the climate emergency, that means keeping all untapped coal, oil and gas fields in the ground,” the party’s policy statement says.

Now, modelling by the Australian Energy Producers shows the true impact on WA homes and industry if the Greens get support for their new gas ban.

The report assumes the “no new gas” policy would mean an immediate ban on all new developments, expansion and infrastructure.

Under this scenario, if the North West Shelf stopped production in 2032, there would quickly be no gas available for power generation in WA and more than half the State’s industrial demand would go unmet within a couple of years.

Australian Energy Producers chief executive Samantha McCulloch said the result would leave WA miners and industry stranded.

“Gas is a critical part of WA’s energy transition, with AEMO forecasting gas demand will grow by over 30 per cent to 2033, supporting the uptake of renewables and the phase out of coal in electricity as well as powering the state’s critical mineral ambitions,” she said.

“If anyone takes the Greens’ ban on new gas investment seriously, WA”s energy and economic security will be smashed.”

The role of gas roll in decarbonising and providing a stable source of electricity for WA homes cannot be understated.

In their bid to cut off gas projects, the Greens have lost sight of their actual popularity.

In a mature democracy, their ideas would be given the weight they deserve, but instead they find themselves at the negotiating table making demands they will never have to worry about enforcing themselves.

The Greens represent a risk to Australia’s economic prosperity and jobs — seven in eight Australians already knew that at the last election.