Speech delivered by Mrs Gina Rinehart AO at the Senex Atlas gas expansion openingDistinguished guests, and the much-needed fossil fuels industry.
Natural gas is critical to Australia’s energy security and to providing reliable electricity for Australian homes and businesses, and let’s not forget, essential for making fertilisers.
Today is a noteworthy day, because after difficult times and delay to be able to make this $1 billion investment alongside our partner, POSCO, we’re one of increasingly few companies investing in large projects in Australia.
The investment flow, thanks to government policies, and despite Australia’s plentiful supply of resources, is going the other way.
Our investment will triple Senex’s production from 2022 levels, so that we can supply gas that Australians need.
If we don’t bring in sensible policies to turn the investment flow back to Australia, what does this mean?
It means yet more lowering of living standards, more record businesses closures, projects being delayed with the greatest burden of government tape and regulations our country has ever seen, 80 percent of resource projects in the pipeline becoming casualties.
Yes, the casualties providing no future revenue, or jobs or other opportunities. I’ve been misrepresented in the media yet again, it is my belief that moderates don’t want to see lowering of living standards, more record business closures, government tape that forces prices up and sends investment offshore, and makes 80 percent of our resource projects merely a heavenly, but non-doable wish.
Our government is focused on plans to close the fossil fuels industry, your industry, and with it, our reliable energy, taking away jobs in this industry, and jobs of the many businesses who supply the industry, and from companies who need gas to run their business, that is, effecting many more jobs, and all their families too.
It’s time for people who want a future in fossil fuels, or who have businesses dependent on reliable fossil fuels, to be active in calling for Australia to have its own DOGE, Department of Government Efficiency, well, efficient thanks to Elon Musk and a fellow billionaire, Vivek Ramaswamy, who will be in charge of it, (or similar, dingo) to bring about a necessary cut in government tape and regulations, and to reduce inflation causing government expenditure and waste.
I’m a big fan of, “drill baby drill”. I was wearing that in the USA and on Friday for National Mining Day along with “dig baby dig”.
But out here in Australia these words are becoming timid whispers.
These days some like to claim that our country can run on sunbeams and windmills alone. By all means put these on your own properties if you wish, but don’t force it on us or taxpayers when the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine on solar panels!
Natural gas, your essential industry, does provide the reliability homes, hospitals and businesses need.
Please join me in applause for the work that Ian Davies, our new CEO Darren Stevenson, and team at Senex has done to bring this project forward despite so many government obstacles.
A special thank you to each of you.
And a request to you all. Those who want jobs in the fossil fuel industry, or its many related businesses, or who just want reliable energy, please make the time to advocate for sensible policies that encourage investment and additional supply, and cutting those that don’t.
Thank you.
