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THMatt Canavan says Australia has been held back by a campaign against oil and gas, blaming the ABC, Labor and what he called “foreign funded activist groups” for stopping drilling.
But when pressed by Sarah Ferguson on 7.30, he did not clearly answer the central question, whether new oil production in Australia is economically viable.
Instead, Canavan argued that refineries closed because they stopped producing crude product, and claimed Australia has “billions and billions of barrels of oil” and “hundreds of feet in this country.” He said the issue was whether there was enough commercial oil to produce long term, before adding, “If we don’t drill, we’ll never find it.”
Trying to have his cake and eat it too.
Asked directly about the economics, Canavan shifted back to politics, accusing the ABC and activist groups of running a years long campaign against the sector.
That left the key point unresolved. A political grievance was offered in place of a commercial case.
For a coalition proposing more domestic oil exploration, that is the obvious question, not who to blame, but whether the numbers actually work.
@thewestreport
