Covid commission chief distances himself from leaked report on massive gas expansion

Nev Power answers Senate inquiry questions about a perceived conflict' given his corporate interests

The former Fortescue Metals chief running Scott Morrison's Covid-19 coordination commission, Nev Power, has distanced himself from a controversial leaked report recommending Australian taxpayers underwrite a massive expansion of the domestic gas industry.

Appearing on Thursday before a Senate committee, Power said the report, revealed by Guardian Australia late last month, should not be considered the view of the National Covid-19 Coordination Commission. He intimated the report was a draft from the manufacturing taskforce that had been superseded by later advice.