Ben Fordham Live on 2GB Breakfast
Oct 14, 2026 · 1 hr 37 min · 58 segments
\*Tanya's gold mine. \*Judy Dench vs trigger warnings. \*Girl wakes up in coffin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ben FordhamHost
Michael SchellenbergerGuest
Ryan ParkGuestRachel DebeckGuest
Rod HendersonGuest
Adam GilchristSteve KensdellGuestPeter SwitzerHarley Carnes
Spiro ChristopoulosMark LevyPanelist
The Federal Government's new Australian Energy Update 2026 has landed and it gives a very different picture of Australia's energy transition from the one we normally hear out of Canberra.
Starting with this, 90% of Australia's primary energy still comes from fossil fuels.
And to break that down, oil provides about 40% of all the energy Australia uses, coal 25%, gas another 25%, renewables 10%.
So oil alone provides almost four times as much energy as all renewables combined.
put the fossil fuels together, and they provide almost nine times as much energy as renewables.
Oil use is now 26% higher, gas use 46% stronger, coal is down about 35%, and renewables have risen sharply.
So yes, coal is down and renewables are up, but oil and gas are also up big time.
In plain English, Australia uses nearly 50% more oil and almost twice as much gas as it did 30 years ago.
And fossil fuels still provide nine out of every 10 units of energy Australia uses.
Now that sounds good in a Chris Bowen press release, But we have to ask ourselves why.
The Australian Energy Update shows energy use in manufacturing has been falling by 2.5% a year for a decade.
So Australian manufacturing is using roughly one-fifth less energy than a decade ago.
We've closed major oil refineries, BHP mothballed a big nickel business, fertiliser production has stopped at Gibson Island, Oceana Glass has closed, Quenos stopped producing polyethylene and Australia stopped making white paper at Maryvale.
The Federal Government's new Australian Energy Update 2026 has landed and it gives a very different picture of Australia's energy transition from the one we normally hear out of Canberra.
Starting with this, 90% of Australia's primary energy still comes from fossil fuels.
And to break that down, oil provides about 40% of all the energy Australia uses, coal 25%, gas another 25%, renewables 10%.
So oil alone provides almost four times as much energy as all renewables combined.
put the fossil fuels together, and they provide almost nine times as much energy as renewables.
Oil use is now 26% higher, gas use 46% stronger, coal is down about 35%, and renewables have risen sharply.
So yes, coal is down and renewables are up, but oil and gas are also up big time.
In plain English, Australia uses nearly 50% more oil and almost twice as much gas as it did 30 years ago.
And fossil fuels still provide nine out of every 10 units of energy Australia uses.
Now that sounds good in a Chris Bowen press release, But we have to ask ourselves why.
The Australian Energy Update shows energy use in manufacturing has been falling by 2.5% a year for a decade.
So Australian manufacturing is using roughly one-fifth less energy than a decade ago.
We've closed major oil refineries, BHP mothballed a big nickel business, fertiliser production has stopped at Gibson Island, Oceana Glass has closed, Quenos stopped producing polyethylene and Australia stopped making white paper at Maryvale.
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