WENDELL HUSSEY | Cadet |CONTACT
The new government has today dispelled any concerns about how rusty they are, by assuring the nation that they are on top of things.
With experts crying from the rooftops to try and warn the east coast about a looming energy crisis, Treasurer Jim Chalmers has moved to ease concerns.
“Don’t worry, we are going to ask the power companies to do the right thing,” the Treasurer said to The Advocate as if giant multinational companies have the interests of everyday Australians first and foremost at the front of their minds.
This comes after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission released a report on the state of the nation’s gas sector, projecting a substantial shortfall in gas supply in the near future which will drive prices up and cause greater energy insecurity.
Predictions about another energy crisis for everywhere but Western Australia come at a time when the nation battles with the spiraling cost of living pressures and a prolonged economic downturn.
“The findings are deeply concerning and I urge gas producers to do the right thing by Australians,” Chalmers said in a statement to the media this morning.
Following up on those comments, Chalmers told The Advocate that he’s confident these huge profit-driven enterprises will forgo maximizing their profits to make sure that Aussie consumers don’t get price gouged out the eyeballs.
“I’m not going to introduce any legislation or force the gas companies not to send all of Australia’s gas overseas because it makes them a fuckload money,” said Chalmers.
When asked whether he would consider implementing something similar to Western Australia’s gas policy where 15% of reserves have to be quarantined for local state use, Chalmers simply laughed.
“I’m just going to ask the gas companies politely and hope that they do my job for me.”
“And if that doesn’t work, I’ll just blame everything on the Liberals.”
“We’ve got at least another 12 months of doing that I reckon.”
More to come.
