Journal article
'Gas has chosen itself': a discourse analysis of the Morrison government's gas-fired recovery
Australian journal of political science, Vol.First online, pp.1-20
31/03/2026
Appears in Recent Faculty of Education Publications
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Abstract
Within weeks of the catastrophic 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfire season, an event widely linked to climate change, the Morrison government announced a gas-fired recovery response to the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, how did the Morrison government construct an economic recovery centred on a fossil fuel? This paper applies a discursive formation methodology developed to study political decisions, to examine how the political discourse of the gas-fired recovery was produced and shaped Australia's energy transition. Our analysis shows that the gas-fired recovery was framed as a bold and comprehensive economic intervention in energy markets, designed to sustain demand for fossil fuels at a time when domestic demand was declining and public support for climate change action was high. If successful, this strategy would have helped secure the long-term position of the fossil fuel industry, potentially extending its role in Australia's energy system well beyond 2050.
Details
- Title
- 'Gas has chosen itself': a discourse analysis of the Morrison government's gas-fired recovery
- Creators
- Amanda Williams - Southern Cross UniversityVanessa Rose - Monash University
- Publication Details
- Australian journal of political science, Vol.First online, pp.1-20
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- Number of pages
- 20
- Grant note
- This work was supported by Centre for Innovation in Biomedical Imaging Technology, AustralianResearch Council.
- Identifiers
- 991013372749702368
- Copyright
- © 2026 The Author(s).
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Education
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article