<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/01/australians-will-pay-more-if-albanese-fast-tracks-fossil-fuel-projects-former-oil-and-gas-leaders-warn>
"Former oil and gas industry leaders, including senior executives from BP and
Shell, are warning the Albanese government that Australians risk ongoing price
shocks and higher costs if it prioritises fossil fuel development in response
to the global energy crisis.
Sixteen ex-executives and professionals – who had worked for companies
including Woodside, Inpex, ExxonMobil and Esso – have urged the government to
reject calls for fast-tracked gas and coal extraction, arguing it would do
nothing to improve the nation’s liquid fuel security.
They said Australia’s limited potential oil reserves – such as the Taroom
trough, championed by the Queensland LNP government – would probably offer less
than a year of supply even if fully exploited.
“[They] are not a real solution within any realistic timeframe,” the ex-fossil
fuel leaders said in a joint statement. “The speculative resources spruiked by
some would take a decade or more to develop, and provide only a fraction of our
energy needs temporarily.”
Signatories to the statement included former BP Australasia president
Greg Bourne, ex-BP vice-president for global projects Russell Smith, and
Bernard Wheelahan, a former director of Shell Australia, president of Shell
Venezuela and chair of lobby group the Australian Petroleum Production and
Exploration Association (now known as Australian Energy Producers).
They said Australia should back policies that “accelerate renewable energy
deployment, modernise the grid and support large-scale electrification” to
minimise reliance on oil. “Every electric vehicle on the road, electric vehicle
in a mine and battery replacing a diesel generator frees up diesel fuel for the
rest – permanently,” they said."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
