Back in 2020, in the midst of Covid led economic fears, the Morrison Government and the NT Government both put together commissions to look at ways to strengthen the economy. Both commissions were stacked with fossil fuel executives, including one key man: Andrew Liveris.

Liveris is a former Dow Chemical CEO, helped shape Trump’s manufacturing policies, and currently sits on the board of the world’s most polluting company in history, fossil fuel giant Saudi Aramco. 

Both fossil fuel exec filled commissions recommended the government invest heavily in gas. Instead of putting public money into long term, climate friendly projects like renewables, they wanted the government to help their mates in the gas industry squeeze out as many profits as they could, as quickly as possible. 

A big part of their plans centred on opening up the NT for fracking, where 70% of land is covered in gas exploration licences. There was just one barrier; a lack of export facilities to send the fracked gas overseas.

Enter: the Middle Arm Gas Hub - a project with facilities to process and prepare gas for export overseas. This facility would make gas expansion in the Beetaloo and Barossa possible.

Unsurprisingly, Liveris and the Morrison Government weren’t too fussed about the potential climate and health impacts of such a project. They announced the initial funding for the project despite having not done an environmental or health impacts assessment, a crucial step in planning.