Is the Browse basin Woodside's real gas goal in WA?
But the licence extension also brings the owner of the project, Woodside, a step closer to tapping the 'Browse' Basin gas field a vast reserve that sits beneath the pristine Scott reef.
While gas companies have wanted to drill the Browse for decades, concerns about its economic viability and environmental impact abound.
So will the Browse project ever get off the ground and if it doesn't, what will it mean for WA's gas future?
GUEST:
Joshua Runciman, lead analyst for Australian Gas, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis
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News.com.au
29 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘Close watch': Bizarre reason for alleged Chinese spying on Aussie Buddhist group
It all seems very innocent - a Buddhist charity that serves free vegetarian food from a commercial building in Canberra, right next-door to a security firm called 'Five Eyes Consulting.' So why would China want to dispatch a spy to infiltrate their ranks? A Chinese citizen was charged on Monday with covertly gathering information about the group on behalf of the Chinese government. It's the first time the AFP has charged a person with interfering with the general population under Australia's recent foreign interference laws. The allegations of spying remain untested, and the case remains before the courts. The alleged victim group in question is called Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door, a branch of Buddhism founded by a late Chinese Australian named Lu Junhong. Guan Yin Citta's centres are sprinkled across Australia, as well as the UK, the US and Southeast Asia - it claims to have more than five million adherents worldwide. Anne-Marie Brady, a Mandarin-speaking professor at the University of Canterbury who specialises in Chinese domestic and foreign policy, said China was known for 'infiltrating' overseas religious organisations. 'The CCP is a Marxist-Leninist political party that promotes atheism in Chinese society and suppresses genuine religious organisation in China, as it regards it as a potential source of political and societal opposition,' Ms Brady told 'Meanwhile it runs 'patriotic' religious organisations (Patriotic Buddhist, Patriotic Catholic, Patriotic Protestant, Patriotic Islam, Patriotic Daoist) under the control of the CCP United Front Work Department to manage sanctioned religious activity in China.' The professor said Chinese people who join a religion that isn't state-sanctioned can face persecution even when they leave the People's Republic. 'The CCP also infiltrates overseas Chinese diaspora religious organisations. 'The CCP keeps a close watch on any new religious organisations in China and within the overseas Chinese diaspora and has a longstanding practice of infiltrating and disrupting them.' In 2017, the CCP-owned newspaper The Beijing News made claims that the Australia-based group was infiltrating China and labelled it an illegal 'xie jiao,' or 'evil cult,' the same designation the CCP has given to Falun Gong and other religious movements. According to charity records, the group is a registered charity in Australia and had a total income of more than $6 million last year, much of that from donations. Photos of the Canberra temple where the spying is alleged to have taken place show it is adorned with portraits of founder Lu Junhong. Mr Junhong moved to Australia from China in 1989 and became an Aussie citizen before founding Guan Yin Citta and broadcasting his message from a Sydney radio station. He died in 2021. The group falls outside the Buddhist mainstream, with a focus on past lives and reciting sutras and mantras. It has copped criticism for claiming Mr Lu was a reincarnation of Guan Yin, a Buddhist figure associated with compassion. At the Sydney branch, dozens of people were seen worshipping on Wednesday morning, but in response to questions, they told this reporter, 'Sorry,' and closed the temple doors. The alleged spy, an Australian permanent resident, was arrested at her Canberra home last Saturday and cannot be named for legal reasons. She was remanded in custody and faces a maximum 15 years in prison if found guilty.

News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Relief in sight for homeowners as RBA poised for interest rate cut
The Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to announce its third cut in interest rates, after holding its rate in July despite the ongoing ease in inflation. According to a new Finder survey, 91 per cent of economists believe the RBA will cut the cash rate following its two-day meeting, which begins on Monday, with a 25 basis point cut bringing the cash rate down from 3.85 per cent to 3.60 per cent. The cash rate was held firm last month, with RBA governor Michele Bullock explaining the decision was about 'timing rather than direction', and was waiting on more data to confirm the decreasing inflation. At the end of July, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) published its quarterly inflation figures, which fell from 2.4 per cent to 2.1 per cent between March and June. Trimmed inflation, also known as underlying inflation, also dropped from 2.9 per cent to 2.7 per cent. Both headlining and underlying inflation rates are now within the RBA's 2-3 per cent target band, indicating inflation is low enough for the RBA to move forward. Mortgage holders are likely to be the biggest winners if the official cash rate is reduced on Tuesday. A homeowner with a $500,000 mortgage are set to save $2884 per year if the cash rate is passed on in full. Fnder head of consumer research Garahm Cooke said the RBA's failure to cut rates lash month was a disappointment for mortgage holders. 'If the RBA doesn't cut next week, they are risking an all-out attack on their legitimacy in the eyes of many homeowners,' he said. 'Last month's decision to hold shocked the market, and we are now seeing a 90 per cent plus certainty of a cut. With inflation well within the target range, there is no reason to hold. 'Banks will be under intense scrutiny to pass on a cut in full,' he said. Despite the overwhelming majority of economists predicting the fall in interest rates, University of Sydney's Stella Huangfu suggested the RBA should hold out for two reasons. 'First, June quarter trimmed mean annual CPI inflation is still 2.7 per cent, which is high within the 2–3 percentage target band and slightly above the RBA's forecast of 2.6 per cent,' she said.

ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
Liberals walk back plan to open 39,000 hectares of native Tasmanian forest to 'short notice' logging
Tasmania's government has backed out of a controversial plan to open up more native forests for logging, saying the decision is "in line with community expectations". But political opponents say the policy "backflip" is a move to woo crossbenchers as the Liberals face the realities of a minority government. In early 2024, the Tasmanian Liberals announced as an election promise it would make 39,000 hectares of forest available for logging at short notice from what they described as a "wood bank" — Future Potential Production Forest (FPPF). The government argued it would "give certainty" to sawmillers and logging contractors, but at the time the decision was criticised by the industry. The government has refused to provide the exact location of the forests it wanted to open up, but in March this year, right-to-information [RTI] documents revealed the government's five "preferred" parcels of native forest were in the north-east of the state. At the time, the Wilderness Society and the Tasmanian Greens claimed these were two parcels west of Ben Lomond, two near Mount Arthur and one in the Mount Barrow area. In a statement released on Saturday, Liberal Member for Braddon Felix Ellis announced the party would no longer proceed with the plan. "The government will instead focus on maximising value from existing resources, including private forests, and ensuring growth in the industry through more innovative on-island processing." Labor leader Dean Winter said, although he welcomed the decision, he was sceptical about the motivation and timing. "You have got to question the cynicism. This is a Liberal government who is desperate to cling onto power, desperate to get the votes of the crossbench." The recent state election resulted in a hung parliament, with the Liberals holding 14 seats, Labor 10, Greens 5, independents 5, and Shooters, Fishers and Farmers 1. The minority Rockliff government is currently negotiating with crossbenchers to secure their support ahead of a promised no-confidence motion by Labor when parliament resumes later this month. Labor, which is also in negotiations with crossbenchers, was opposed to the government's "wood bank" plan. A spokesperson for the government said they have been consulting with the industry and community on this matter "for some time". Tasmanian Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff said the announcement was a win for both the Greens and the local communities that had campaigned against the project. "[With] the Greens in the crossbench and a more progressive group of independents there with us, too, there is no doubt that the vote in Tasmania will be able to put pressure on the major parties to deliver these sorts of policy changes." Tasmanian Forest Products Association (TFPA) chief Nick Steel said the walk-back reflected the "political reality" of Tasmania's new minority government. "While this decision may be disappointing for some in Tasmania's forestry sector, the TFPA remains committed to working with both major parties to secure the long-term sustainability of our industry," he said. "Tasmania's forestry sector is a key component for the success of regional Tasmania and essential to help the state overcome its current budget crisis."