Well, in the light of this alliance between the Australian Industry Group, the AWU and the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association in support of coal seam gas mining it is time to get a few facts straightThere is no shortage of gasAccording to the 2012 Australian Gas Resource Assessment report, prepared by Geoscience Australia and the Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics, Australia has 390 trillion cubic feet of identified gas, excluding shale gasEnough gas, the report says, to maintain current production rates for 184 yearsWhat’s more, according to former Resources Minister, Martin Ferguson, “shale gas could potentially double Australia’s gas resources”And these plentiful reserves aren’t just in WA“We have a lot of gas in eastern Australia that’s available” BHP petroleum chief Mike Yaeger said last year“It’s more important to let the citizens of Victoria and NSW and to some degree, you know, even Queensland, there’s plenty of gas to supply those provinces for, you know, indefinitely”The only reason gas will become expensive and in short supply is because the east coast of Australia is gearing up to export gas meaning domestic consumers will have to pay the expensive international priceThis could easily be resolved by introducing a gas reservation policyIn the meantime, these mining outfits are trying to scare the public and the banks - which finance their mining operations and are now beginning to ask questions – into silenceIt won’t work

The Alan Jones Breakfast show: Highlights