APPEA Conference 2017
Richard Holliday
Non Executive Director, Development Executive: Commercial Advisor, Government and Stakeholder Relations.
The Oil and Gas industry gather in Perth today for a 4 day conference to do what industry does best, talk to itself.
With an industry in crisis I don't hold out too much hope for a joint communique from the big players in the oil and gas sector regarding their Social Licence to Operate or a fierce battle over retrospective regulation as this move suits many on the West Coast. Nor will there be much discussion on the Federal Government speech bubble of building a natural gas pipeline from WA to SA.
Woodside CEO Mr Coleman's key note address would be worth the air fares and conference fees alone to hear him defend his comments made in the Australian a week or two ago. Check out my Linkedin article on this topic!
I note there is a Concurrent Session 8, devoted to Communities the Essential Partnership. The small room will most likely be at capacity for this important topic and missing no doubt from this session will be the Chairman, CEO, VP's Government Relations & External Strategy and the Marketing and Communications folks, the people that have dropped the ball over a long period of time in the battle to gain traction within the broad community and across all Government's.
The technical boffins have again won the agenda (see link) with little or no discussions on the natural gas crisis, the crisis of public opinion against fossil fuels or the recent draconian decision by the Federal Government to impose retrospective regulation on an industry that has invested over $70billion (QLD LNG) under regulations that were and are today, still fit for purpose.
A gathering of more than two CEO's will send shivers down the spine of APPEA's Board of Directors given Mr Colemans comments and the fact that members are walking away possibly because APPEA no longer represents the views of those most in need of a leg up with Government and within the community. Such a shame as the potential was there but they too have dropped the ball.
The APPEA Board of Directors is an interesting composition with minimal input from Queensland and given Queensland's role in natural gas supply the picture is becoming clearer every day, or is it?
I can't say I'm sorry for not attending this year's APPEA conference as it will be mostly as I've said, a talk fest, good food, wine and the official dinner and live entertainment is always a great event and the after party legendary, just ask those from the Melbourne conference that kicked on until dawn!
Other than that, enjoy the break boys and girls the real work starts when there is not a single molecule of new natural gas in the pipelines, but hey you know this is going to happen and when as do Government.