Madeleine King, the Resources Minister, is facing increasing pressure to rectify her assertion made during a major speech that all greenhouse gas emissions from the development of the Beetaloo gas basin in the Northern Territory will be offset to mitigate their impact on the climate.
Background
Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday, King defended her support for the development of the Beetaloo gas basin, located south of Darwin. This came after she was questioned about her comfort level with the emissions produced by the gas and their effects on Australians. Recently, King was seen celebrating alongside NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro as the first gas was pumped from the basin last month.
King described the basin as a "very important resource" for the NT, aimed at supplying gas to Australia’s east coast and export markets. She noted that its development followed a "landmark scientific study" conducted in 2018 regarding the permissibility of fracking in the territory. This study, known as the Pepper inquiry, made 135 recommendations, including that the NT and Australian governments should ensure that any onshore shale gas developments do not increase the country’s total emissions.
Emission Offset Claims
In her address, King stated that the NT government had "taken up and implemented" the recommendations of the Pepper inquiry. She claimed, "My understanding from those recommendations is that the emissions are accounted for and offset, but I would have to check that."
However, it has been revealed that the NT government does not mandate emissions from the Beetaloo basin to be offset. The Guardian reported that the previous Labor territory government had removed this requirement after objections from the gas industry, a stance maintained by the Country Liberal Party government since its election in 2024.
