Winston Churchill once said, “never let a good crisis go to waste”. The gas industry clearly agrees with him. It has taken a problem of its own making and turned it into a reason why Australians should ignore all their concerns about coal seam gas and let the industry drill wherever it likes. And if comments from our new federal Minister for Resources are to be believed, he has swallowed the industry’s spin hook, line and sinker.

Ian Macfarlane told a gas summit in Sydney on Thursday: ”Addressing the possibility of a gas shortage in New South Wales is one of the most important priorities.” But before you can solve a problem you first have to understand it.