Transcript from Drive with Jo Trilling, ABC Perth, 21/11/23.

Jo Trilling: I’m speaking to Dr. Richard Denniss, Executive Director at the Australia Institute. I’ve got a text from Madeleine King. She is the Federal Minister for Resources and writes:

“The Australia Institute ignores the fact that the Australian gas industry provides for the energy security of our regional neighbours, and new projects are required to ensure that security. Australia’s LNG is a central plank of international partners’ transition plans to net zero. Also, processing of critical minerals is the greatest demand growth for gas.”

Richard, your response to the Minister?

Richard was speaking to ABC Perth about gas when the Federal Resources Minister texted in, saying that we need more gas to help our international partners transition to net zero. 🤯

Have a listen to the response from @RDNS_TAI ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/114NyKnCR7

— Australia Institute (@TheAusInstitute) November 22, 2023

Richard Denniss: Oh, I hope she just goes to the next climate talks and tells the rest of the world that!

I mean, let’s be clear, Australia is now the Australian Government is now using international security as its excuse for continued subsidised expansion of the gas industry. I mean, we’re through the looking glass here. So look, I really just… I mean, that’s a great text. I’ll transcribe it. I’ll have to think how I can share it with people around the world.

But in the climate talks coming up…

Jo Trilling: Cop28 in Dubai?

Richard Denniss: At COP28 in Dubai, currently being flooded by very unusual weather patterns, the rest of the world is coming together to talk about how they can reduce their emissions.

And Australia, the third-biggest exporter of fossil fuels in the world, is saying, “No, no, no – people really want more fossil fuels and Richard wants to stop us selling more fossil fuels to the rest of the world.”

Well, look, if Madeleine King is right, then her government should admit it – there’s no way we’re going to tackle climate change, there’s no way we’re going to limit dangerous climate change to 1.5 degrees, there’s no way we’re going to limit it to 2 degrees.

If Madeleine King is right, then she needs to own the consequences of being right – and that is a massive expansion in fossil fuel consumption around the world. And, you know, we’ve just signed a deal to help Tuvalu people escape the climate change we’re going to cause.

We’re going to need to sign—sorry, her foreign Affairs Minister is going to have to sign a lot more deals if Madeleine King continues to be so good.

And let’s be clear. Well done, Minister King, you are doing a brilliant job for the resources industry. If Madeleine King keeps doing such a good job of explaining why the world needs more fossil fuels to tackle climate change, Penny Wong and Anthony Albanese are going to be signing a lot more deals with Pacific countries on where those people are going to live.