27 March 2025: climate action group 350 Australia says the Coalition plan to spend $1 billion in public money on gas is a handout to big gas companies that will harm communities.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton tonight announced that he’ll reserve $1 billion of the existing capacity investment scheme, currently focused on renewables, to instead expand the east coast gas market with a focus on gas infrastructure.

350 Australia Senior Campaigner Shani Tager said: “More gas means more pollution, and that means more unnatural disasters like fires, cyclones and floods. We can’t have a safe future and an expansion of the gas industry.

This is a throwback to Morrison-era gas plans with a push to “fast-track” gas approvals and promises to directly subsidise an industry that’s made record breaking profits in the last few years. Australia is one of the world’s largest gas exporters, with 80% of gas extracted here exported.

“This won’t benefit households, it’s just a payday for big gas corporations who are already making record profits while exporting most of their gas overseas,” said Ms Tager.

“If Peter Dutton and the Coalition actually wanted to lower household energy bills, they’d back the cheapest form of new energy which is wind and solar. Instead, they’re giving handouts to their mates in the gas industry and throwing communities who are already feeling the impacts of climate change under the bus.

“The science is clear, to safeguard communities from the worst impacts of climate change, the gas industry needs to be phased out, not expanded on the public dime.”