Chris Bowen criticises Coalition's gas plan as a 'microwaved Morrison policy' | 7.30

Key Concepts: Gas reservation policy, Morrison policy, gas-fired recovery, gas prices, gas code of conduct, nuclear modeling, gas use reduction.

Critique of the Gas Reservation Policy

The speaker identifies three primary issues with the proposed gas reservation policy, characterizing it as a "reheated microwave Morrison policy," implying a rehash of a previously unsuccessful strategy.

1. Reheated Morrison Policy:

• The speaker directly compares the current policy to the "gas-fired recovery" announced by Angus Taylor in 2020.
• Specific Detail: When Angus Taylor announced the gas-fired recovery, gas prices were $4 a gigajoule. By the time of the election, they had risen to $34.70 a gigajoule.
• Argument: The speaker argues that the current policy is a "carbon copy" of the previous one and, based on the past failure, is unlikely to succeed now.

2. Insufficiency of 100 Petajoules:

• The government proposes reserving 100 petajoules of gas.
• Counter-Argument: The speaker states that their gas code of conduct has already introduced 640 petajoules.
• Implication: The proposed 100 petajoules is insufficient compared to existing measures.

3. Inconsistency with Nuclear Modeling:

• The speaker highlights a contradiction between the current gas policy and the government's nuclear modeling.
• Argument: The nuclear modeling is based on a "dramatic reduction in gas use."
• Contradiction: The current policy advocates for "much more gas."
• Conclusion: The speaker asserts that either the current gas policy is flawed, or the nuclear modeling is invalid, as both cannot be simultaneously true. "Either their policy today works or their nuclear modeling has fallen apart. They both can't be."

Synthesis/Conclusion:

The speaker strongly criticizes the proposed gas reservation policy on three grounds: its resemblance to a failed past policy, the inadequacy of the proposed gas reserve, and its inconsistency with the government's own nuclear energy modeling. The core argument is that the policy is either ineffective or undermines the government's other energy strategies.