Bligh Slams Demonisation of Gas Industry

A campaign to demonise the gas industry and a lack of skilled labour are key obstacles to Queensland and the nation reaping the full benefits of the mining boom, Premier Anna Bligh says.

She said there was $45 billion of new investment committed to liquefied natural gas projects in Queensland over the next three years.

Ms Bligh said a campaign of opposition to the gas industry risked the state and the nation not harnessing its full potential.

"One of the ... serious impediments is a very concerted campaign by some to demonise the gas industry," she told a business lunch in Melbourne on Wednesday.

"There is a very concerted campaign to bring down all fossil fuels and ... I think we need leadership and we need people speaking rationally about how we are as a country ... going to supply our energy needs over the next 20, 30 and 50 years."

But Ms Bligh identified a lack of skilled labour as the most significant potential impediment to the industry.  Read More

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