News

Australia’s net zero policies are driving a rapid de-industrialisation, as energy-intensive industries struggle to remain viable under rising costs and regulatory burdens.

Queensland’s largest green hydrogen project is on the scrap heap after state government-owned Stanwell Corporation announced its withdrawal from the international consortium developing the estimated $12.5 billion production plant and pipeline.

Gina Rinehart says net zero is an “unobtainable and expensive magic pudding”, and believes Australia should follow the lead of the US.

Gina Rinehart has lashed net zero as “unobtainable and expensive”, while celebrating Hancock Prospecting and Rio Tinto’s Hope Downs 2 $2.5 billion investment call.

Australia’s peak mining lobby says unfavourable policy settings are coming to the fore after a $14.6bn plunge in royalties and company taxes collected from the sector.

Some of the country’s biggest industrial names are hit hardest as rising electricity costs and volatile commodity prices put their businesses at risk

When I began writing about economics at The Australian more than a decade ago, these pages were filled with optimism: the resource boom was in full swing, the phrase “miracle economy” still prevalent. If we had a problem it was a “two-speed” economy, and an Australian dollar that was almost as valuable as the greenback.

Ten years after the signing of the Paris climate accord, demand for coal is still growing — largely because of India and China — and shows no signs of peaking.

Victoria cannot rely on pulling more gas from Queensland to shore up an energy system pushed to the edge by a cascading set of breakdowns and concerns over the reliability of renewables, with the pipeline flowing south already at full capacity.

A Commonwealth review of three major policies that regulate the east coast gas market will consider any impact to Australia’s reputation as an investment destination while leaving the door open to unspecified government “initiatives” to boost domestic supply.