Gas ‘completely dominated’ discussion about Covid-19 recovery, commission adviser says

Focus should shift to renewables to avoid risk of being stranded with fossil fuel infrastructure, AMWU national secretary says

A member of a government Covid-19 recovery taskforce has rejected the overwhelming focus on gas as the path out of recession, saying the country risked ending up with stranded fossil fuel infrastructure and should be doing more to back renewable energy.

Paul Bastian, national secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and a member of a manufacturing taskforce advising the federal government's handpicked National Covid-19 Coordination Commission (NCCC), said gas had a significant role to play, but the importance of cheap clean energy in cutting costs for industry had barely featured in public discussion when it should be front and centre".