Resource Minister Matt Canavan (2.0) has announced a $26 million grant to fast track development of new on shore gas supplies.  It has been tagged the Gas Acceleration Program or GAP.  

This is an interesting change in refrain from the one that these federal song birds were singing not so long ago.  Previously on the issue of CSG we were assured that it was most definitely a STATE issue, State laws, State ministers.  Now the Federal Government are able to provide vast funding to the industry.  This new interest the Federal Government has discovered is offered specifically under Department of Industry, Innovation and Science’s Outcome 1: Enabling growth and productivity for globally competitive industries through supporting science and commercialisation, growing business investment and improving business capability and streamlining regulation.

This funding can be used to develop new technologies or techniques to boost well productivity, for new production or exploration near existing infrastructure. It can also be used to build new gas processing, storage and transport facilities, or for other activities that will bring forward new gas supply.

Is it possible that there are a bunch of other GAPs that the Federal Government could have chosen to demonstrate leadership and fecundity for such as:

• undertaking health impact assessments caused by the industry
• investigating and reducing atmospheric emissions caused by the industry
• or simply growing business investment in renewable energy