Australia shouldn’t ‘have to go cap in hand’ to Singapore to shore up energy security, Nationals leader Matt Canavan says
Australia shouldn’t be “having to go cap in hand” to Singapore to shore up the country’s energy security, Nationals leader Matt Canavan has said amid the Prime Minister's visit to the Asian nation.
Nationals leader Matt Canavan has questioned why Australia should “have to go cap in hand” to a much smaller ally to shore up its energy security amid ongoing fuel woes.
Australia and Singapore have reaffirmed ties to ensure the continued trade of liquefied natural gas and refined fuels amid Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s diplomatic visit.
Mr Albanese, who has been in the Asian nation since Thursday, released a joint statement with his Singaporean counterpart to say the countries had “reaffirmed the strength of the relationship” between the two countries.
Nationals leader Matt Canavan has questioned why Australia should “have to go cap in hand” to a much smaller ally to shore up its energy security. Picture: NewsWire/Martin Ollman.
“We recognised the importance of the role of our countries in each other’s energy security,” the joint statement on Friday read.
However, Mr Canavan has argued that Australia shouldn’t need to rely on partnerships with countries like Singapore to keep critical supplies flowing.
“We really shouldn’t be in the position of having to go cap in hand to another country,” Mr Canavan told Sky News on Friday evening.
“I’ve got great respect for Singapore, I love Singapore, it’s a fantastic place.
“[However], it is a small island and so how is it that a country the size of a continent, we are the only country that has its own continent for its own use, we have to go to them for basic essentials? Shouldn’t it kind of be the other way around?”
Though he said he was “happy” to see trading with Singapore, Mr Canavan said Australia had got itself “in a situation” where it couldn’t tap into its own resources.
“We’ve got ourselves a situation because, partly because of the Labor Party, but also their friends in the Green movement, the foreign-funded activist movement, the left-wing media,” Mr Canavan said.
“They have teamed up over the past generation and run a, I have to admit, successful campaign that’s convinced people not to drill and extract our resources, to just simply lock up our country.”
“And so if you lock up our country and don’t use our resources, well we end up having to go beg for those resources from another country, a very small place like Singapore. But that doesn’t have to be a destiny, it’s a choice.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been visiting Singapore for talks on securing trade in essential supplies. Picture: NewsWire/Martin Ollman
Mr Canavan said he thought Mr Albanese should schedule a trip to Brisbane to discuss potential domestic oil extraction options with the Queensland government.
“Why isn’t the Prime Minister travelling to Brisbane on his way home and meeting with the Queensland Premier and working out a plan to extract the oil in western Queensland?” Mr Canavan said.
“Like it’s great to get it from Singapore. We’ll need to in the short term, right? … [but] I would suggest that the Prime Minister diverts the BBJ jet on his way home, goes to Brisbane, meets with David Crisafulli, the Premier, and nuts out a plan with him, as he has with the Singaporean PM.”
It comes after Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said the reaffirmed pact with Australia would ensure key goods continue to move in both directions.
“That includes liquefied natural gas, or LNG, which Australia supplies to Singapore, as well as refined petroleum products like diesel which Singapore supplies to Australia,” he said during a press conference in Singapore on Friday.
He said the arrangement was critical for Singapore, which relies heavily on gas for power generation.
Mr Albanese said the partnership would strengthen both economies during a period of uncertainty.
“This is a win-win,” he said.
Mr Albanese, who was expected to be in Singapore until Saturday, earlier said the trip would involve discussions between leaders on securing trade in essential supplies.
“The visit will continue the Government’s regional engagements to keep fuel supply flowing by strengthening fuel access for Australia,” he said in statement on Tuesday.
