Labor firms up energy policy as Aussie election nears

Australian Labor Party leader Bill Shorten at a meeting with members of the UK royal family in April 2018. (PA)

Gas could take second place to renewables and battery storage in Australia in the coming decades if the Labor Party wins the country’s next election, something that looks increasingly likely. A general election must be called by May 2019 at the latest.

According to Labor’s policy outlines, gas will still have a major role to play in the nation’s fuel mix in the medium term, but pressure on the industry is likely to increase. The party would introduce new measures to increase gas production and control...