Belly, it is hard to find articles I have previously read.

This one illustrates the ponzi scheme of shale gas in the US.
It might not be the same here.

http://tinyurl.com/9n9yygz

I notice that some of the coal seam gas companies here are very small
and some are $2 shelf companies.

This article is by one of the aknowledged experts in the field.

http://tinyurl.com/9nbodaj

This one is a list of articles on the alternate gas & oil.

http://www.energybulletin.net/taxonomy/term/2

Down the left side is a list of categories by fuels etc.
Pick a subject you fancy, and I am sure you will find it interesting.
They are mostly about the US, but it is interesting how similar our
situation is to the USs.
Mostly if you just knock a zero of the end of numbers they become
similar to ours, eg they import 40% of the oil, we import 50%.
Our gas prices are not similar, but we are now starting on shale gas.

73

Bazz yes seen that ,we used shale to make fuel long ago, not sure it is yet a big impact thing or ever will be.
CSG is we have heaps, nothing we have so far is sustainable, not forever.
But I believe we will find something.
Well ethanol if it was not taking food from the table would be.
I too am researching both the fuels of the future and other views on population.

Belly, there is one process for ethanol whose name I have forgotten
that uses non food crop residue, tree branches etc, but because it does
not have much sugar needs a lot of processing and uses more energy than
you get back out. Celestorive, or a name like that it is.

Well we have a lot of csg, but if we start using it for cars & trucks
as well as electricity generation and export, it will only extend the
decline of oil by a fairly short time.
It will decine quite quickly under those circumstances.

There is some interesting research into pyrolysis.

http://biofuels.che.wisc.edu/

But whatever happens with Australia's population, we will still need oil alternatives. I'm optimistic that fuel alternatives will be found, but surely a more pressing problem for Australia is water security? Isn't it the case that more people equates to less water per person?

Fester I share those views, we will find fuel, but water is to be a problem.
I live in an area that has had up to twice its annual rain fall for every one of the last 4 years.
We are now in a short, 3 months, dought, my black clay ground is parched as if it has been years.
Setting up salt removal systems can help, but we will still not be helped, no town water or sewage even in sight.
Bazz, I had high hopes for that type of ethanol, roadside grasses and a swampy reed type plant, by the thousands of tonn,s, blended with high sugar content held promise.
It is wasted now.

Fester, many ideas seem promising, but the old ERoEI. Energy Returned on Energy Invested
brings us down to ground with a bump.

Belly, an article by a chemist, it might have been Robert Rapier's blog
http://www.consumerenergyreport.com/columns/rsquared/
commented that oil has the highest known energy density after uranium.
Because of this other liquid fuels that we produce need some processing
and that extra processing is what makes them have a less net energy and cost more.

My suggestion is that we should not be surprised if we never find
a liquid renewable energy source.