So Malcome has now insisted that the CSG compainies, having spent billions, that being after very clostly and well laid out planning work, are now having to risk their multi billion dollar contracts to supply our needs, simply because those from within government who wrote the rules were incompitent.

Meanwhile, the incompitent ones, now back in the private sector are working on other projects totally exempt from the crisis they played a large hand in causing.

The simple rule is, you don't agree on something then shift the goal posts. Its the mining tax all over again.

When are we going to stop allowing incompitent people to determine our futures.

Hey rehctub,
I think I read somewhere that Aussies are getting ripped off blind because the gas companies sell to the Australian market at a much higher price than they sell it to their export buyers, apparently.

Yes Howard's 5 cent / litre to Japan was a doozy for 30 years to boot.

No sympathy for gas companies. Regulator recommends 7% return. They are taking 160% in some instances. They are the modern robber barons.

One important point not looked at is they have the contracts BUT Australia signed up to free trade agreements which are nearly always skewed in favor of big business at the expense of taxpayers.

If the Government does anything to effect the profit the companies can take them to like tribunals that can enforce BIG payouts guess where the money will come from taxpayers.

Youre missing the point, the retention policy should have Formed part of the original approval which by the way where negotiated by the states to my knowledge.

Shifting the goal posts errods confidence.

The problem as I see it was that when the long time Jaoanese & Chinese
contracts were made it was known that the NSW, QLD & VIC gas fields
were largely untapped so I guess there was plenty of reserves.

However the politicians & greenies stepped in and closed those areas.
Now they are asking those companies to pay for their brainstorms.

The dopey politicians just as in the electricity fiasco could not see ahead.

Too right Bazz, whether it be gas retention, of insulation, the fact is governments are simply not qualified to make such landmark decisions.

Big decisions need to be made by business people, not pollies as they simply don't have the smarts. They go running off spending billions only to find they have not properly considered all the factors. The result being more and more wasted taxes, taxes we simply no longer have.

Goverments need to know where their limitations lie.