Submission into the Commonwealth inquiry gas exploration and production in Beetaloo Basin

This submission focuses on specific risks in relation to the provision of public money, in total $50 million, going to gas companies under the Beetaloo Cooperative Drilling Program, and systemic weaknesses in Australia’s governance of the oil and gas sector and makes the following recommendations:

1. The Commonwealth should rule out any public money under the program going to oil and gas companies, including their subsidiaries, who use secrecy jurisdictions and offshore shell companies without sufficient explanation.

2. The Commonwealth should restart the multi-stakeholder group of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and commit with a timeline to Australia becoming an EITI candidate country.