Gas will play an 'important role' in 'medium term' energy generation

Shadow Finance Minister Jane Hume says gas will play an “important role” in the “medium term”.

Peter Dutton's argument of nuclear power being the best replacement for coal has been dismissed by the Australian Energy Market Operator as too expensive and slow.

“We’ve made it very clear that in the medium term, we need to inject more gas into the system, with 90 per cent of our coal-fired power generation leaving the system over the next decade – this is now becoming urgent,” Ms Hume told Sky News Australia.

Gas will play an 'important role' in 'medium term' energy generation

“Labor has a future gas strategy that seems to have been tabled and then immediately put aside.

“That should be of great concern.

“We want to see the coal exiting the system be replaced by clean, reliable, baseload nuclear power in the longer term – but in the medium term there will certainly be an important role for gas to play.”