Brickworks Limited
(ASX:BKW) chief Lindsay Partridge believes the Federal government’s export first policies will lead to Australian manufacturers facing a gas crisis, according to reports.
Mr Partridge told Fairfax media Brickworks could not secure gas contracts in excess of two years due to a near tripling of gas prices in Perth and Brisbane.
He says prices in the Sydney market had doubled in the past five years.
According to Mr Partridge, it would be cheaper to import gas from the US than buy it locally.
Federal Resources Minister Martin Ferguson says Australia’s east coast gas market is undergoing a period of transition, creating market uncertainty, and denied there is any gas shortage in the country.
Brickworks generated a net profit of $43.3 million in the 2012 financial year.
