Albanese Government's gas policy risks deepening fossil fuel dependence
Greenpeace Australia Pacific
SYDNEY, Monday 22 December 2025 — Greenpeace Australia Pacific has warned the government’s new gas reservation policy risks keeping us hooked on a polluting industry that only cares about its own profits.
The Albanese Government today announced a new gas reservation policy requiring exporters to reserve between 15 and 25 per cent of gas production for the domestic market. The policy will apply to gas contracts entered from today but will come into effect from 2027.
Geoff Bice, Campaigner at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said: “This reservation policy confirms what Australians have known for years: handing control of our energy market to multinational gas companies has been a massive failure. While they rake in billions, households have been squeezed and our communities and environment are paying the price.
“While this policy does make some long overdue steps to curb the export rorts, it is alarming that the government is continuing to double down on new gas — despite the clear reality that Australia already has more than enough gas to meet our domestic needs. Just a few weeks ago the government announced it was opening up the Otway Basin in Victoria for destructive offshore gas exploration, for gas that we don’t even need.
“If implemented effectively, this reservation policy should mean no new gas projects are needed — but without strong guardrails, it risks entrenching our dependence on expensive, harmful fossil fuels even further.
“Opening new gas fields will only lock us into decades of pollution, and delay the transition to the cheaper, cleaner renewable alternatives. Creating more gas dependency is not the solution. We need to urgently move away from the fossil fuels of the past.
-ENDS-
Contact details:
For more information or interviews contact Lucy Keller on 0491 135 308 or [email protected]