Thread by @Tom_Swann

After a no show the first time around, Chair of the National COVID19 Coordination Commission Neville Power now answering questions from the Senate COVID Commission.

Thread is live tweeting.

COVID Commission spent first five weeks solving problems, now is "working with industry" to develop COVID safe plans and strategic planning for recovery.

Mr Power reiterates his view that we should extract more gas.

Mr Power is deputy chair of Strike Energy, a gas company. He says he will not attend board meetings while he's the Chair of the Covid Commission.

He's still on the board and still owns millions of dollars of shares in the company.

.@KKeneally asks about Mr Power's quarter of a million "not salary" to pay for his travel, food and accommodation.

Nev Power is being paid by the taxpayer to fly on his private jet between Perth and Canberra.

Mr Power's plane has done 20 flights while he's been the Chair. Most are chartered by other people. He's only done four trips.

How does he get to quarter of million over six months with just four trips?

Mr Power has an exemption for the WA state border closure.

Mr Power has been flying government officials on his private jet - "gave them a lift".

He's the pilot.

Mr Power's Executive Assistant is being paid by the taxpayer for 4 days on his work as Chair of the Commission and 1 day on his private affairs, the latter he is funding himself.

The draft manufacturing taskforce report was leaked, no action on the leak

Dept Sec says Covid Commission has rightly focused on gas costs for energy and as feedstock.

Manufacturing taskforce members not generally required to disclose financial interests. Chair Mr Liveris did, he's on the board of two oil and gas companies.

Why not the others, given apparent conflicts of interest?

No justification given. "decision made"

Who appointed the members of the taskforce?

The Commission chose Mr Liveris as the Chair.

Taskforce members were chosen by the taskforce itself.

Clarification, some of Commissioners chose some of the manufacturing taskforce members.

Gaetjens rejects "gas led recovery". Strange, this is rhetoric from the government.

Dodging questions about any direction from government on gas.

Gaetjen claims they have consulted with "well over a thousand people".

What work is being done on renewables?

Mr Power says there has been "considerable" engagement with renewables stakeholders. He's reading from notes here.

Mr Power talks about the need for "competitive gas" as feedstock.

Most gas is /not/ used for feedstocks.

Any cost benefit analysis?
No detailed analysis to date, has been handed to government.

Official says there has been no project singled out or supported. Uh what about Narrabri?

theguardian.com/business/2020/…

Mr Power says they were looking for "the fastest and most economic way to provide gas as feedstock" to manufacturing.

Mr Power tries to distance himself from the Liveris report,

says the Commission is "not recommending the subsdisation of gas".

but recommends infrastructure for gas. presumably through enormous government subsidy.

While the Senate Committee considers other matters, now is a good time to point out the COVID19 Commission has not answered ANY questions put to it on notice. aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_…

Can the senator please put his microphone on mute.

Mr Power's consultancy fee is being paid into his personal trust. He's unable to describe how tax is being paid on the trust.

Lambie would like to know why he's not on a salary.

Mr Power declined to take a salary but is being paid an allowance for travel and accommodation.

Mr Power is not able to describe his actual costs so far and will not be providing receipts.

Lambie would like to know about the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme -

obligations arise anyway.

Lambie asks about Mr Liveris' role with Dragoman, which is listed under the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme as acting for the Saudi Geological Survey.

Has there been a security or intelligence check on Mr Liveris?

Goes into the black hole of questions on notice, from which so far no answers have emerged.

Three formally constituted working groups - plus others they haven't mentioned before.

Conflicts of interest disclosure by the whole IR taskforce and only the Chair of the Manufacturing taskforce.

Rex Patrick wants to see the interest disclosure for the Commissioners

NCCC charities group has been looking at impact on donations.

The first bit of manufacturing report mentions lots of parts of manufacturing, but then goes into great depth on the need for more gas .

is it going to go into the rest of it?

Mr Power reels off a whole range of other areas.

Taskforce seems far less interested in all that

Mr Power keeps saying they are looking at support to manufacturing without subsidies.

like building gas pipelines for the gas industry?

Mr Power is now describing the 'problems' they 'solved' in the early phase - all things that sound incredibly important and what you might expect the public service to do.

how is running around autonomously 'solving problems' consistent with the idea the Commission is "not a decision maker"?

Nev Power confirms he flew his private jet to merimbula on private business matters.

Quarter of a million for travel expenses and he's not even working full time.

Senator Watt is now looking at MP declarations of flights on Nev Power's private jet back to WA - including Mr Morton and Senator Cormann.

Is there any reason why Mr Power is ferrying Government members but not others?

NP: No reason.

35 APS staff working on the NCCC, redeployed from outside.

Boston Consulting Group got a $500k contract to basically run the manufacturing taskforce.

Why not within the APS?

"Surge capacity" needed.

tenders.gov.au/Cn/Show/198296…

There's another contract for 'market research' - public health messages.

whole of govt comms about COVID19 housed within the NCCC - due to "pragmatic decision" - but could well have been in "PMC proper"

liasing directly with PM's office.

tenders.gov.au/Cn/Show/2b48d9…

NCCC and PMC unsure about how Tim Reed got this half million dollar contract, who decided, not aware of any communication with PM's office over the matter.

Mr Reed used to work for the Liberal Party pollsters.

Commission and Commssioners not getting the market research.

Makes it a bit odd that it would be funded and managed out of the Commission.

Results presented to PMO? On notice.

How will DPMC stop it going to the Liberal Party? On notice.

Another contract with a former Liberal Party staffer.

Again relating to "whole of govt" communications, which for some reason is based within the COVID Commission.
tenders.gov.au/Cn/Show/79d1ce…

Has the manufacturing (pro-gas) report been adopted by government?

Is being considered by government.

NCCC did not modified the draft report, is with govt, will it be made public?

Up to the government.

(Answer seems to be no)

Any government analysis of the taskforce?
NCCC or PMC have no idea of anything happening in govt.

Taskforce did 'extensive modelling' - actually done by Boston Consulting Group.

Did the Commission think at all about climate change, emissions, Australia's targets, stranded assets?

Mr Power goes on to talk about getting more gas.

"we didn't consider the full range of energy options"

including, it seems, the ultra cheap commercially available ones in solar and wind.

Mr Power cites Alan Finkel's support for gas.

Mr Power thinks building new gas fields and pipelines and bootstrapping a petrochemical industry is the fastest and cheapest way to create jobs.

This was assumed, not demonstrated, in the analysis.

Mr Power is a director on around 20 companies - charities, mining, energy, aviation.

He has appointed an attorney to act on his behalf, he wont trade any securities...

Watt: How is staying on the board (but not attending) a way to dealing with the conflicts of interest?

Power: there is no conflict because it's purely advisory.

Mr Power is still bound by the Corporations Act, despite not 'attending' the board meetings. Including remaining aware of the financial position of the meetings.

Mr Power does not know if he is receiving director fees from Strike Energy and the ~19 other companies he's on the board of.

Would the east west gas pipeline that Mr Power has called for benefit the WA gas company he is now the deputy chair of?

"No not necessarily".

He deflects by saying he's called for the pipeline for many years.

Which seems entirely irrelevant.

Also irrelevant is Mr Power's list now of gas/renewable projects he's been involved in.

Mr Power has discussed the East-West pipeline in the Commission, says it's not a NCCC recommendation or in the taskforce recommendations.

There is /alot/ in the taskforce about building new pipelines.

Commission also looking at locating gas based manufacturing in WA or NT and transporting the product

The Commissioners are getting about $1 million between them.

Another $1m spent - most of it on "whole of government" comms.

Why put "whole of govt" comms within NCCC?

still no clear answer. "pragmatic decision". NCCC dealing with lots of perspectives.

Mr Power now conceding there is a recommendation re the east west pipeline in the taskforce report.

Is there a conflict of interest?

"The east west pipeline doesn't necessarily benefit Strike" - the company in which he owns ~millions in shares and directs.

Mr Power giving red herring responses. The fact that he has long called for this is irrelevant.

Clearly connecting east to west markets raises a material conflict for Strike, which is developing a massive field in the west.

Mr Power now talking about "commercially viable" projects. The draft report would buy gas or 'book build' demand and underwrite projects. = SUBSIDY.

Mr Power says it's not necessarily NCCC recommendation.

So show us the final report?

Mr Power claiming he received and gave no direction on a gas led recovery.

He did choose an oil and gas executive to chair the manufacturing taskforce.

Mr Power claims they consulted widely. The consultation list is dominated by fossil fuel companies and interests.

the idea that developing gas fields and whole new petrochemical industries will create jobs "now" is pretty odd on its own terms.

Mr Power has spoken with proponents for the Canning Basin coal seam gas fields

Mr Power is asserting that gas is needed for economic firming of variable renewables. This is not correct. The AEMO/CSIRO GenCost report, on which the Liveris report relies, shows 6 hour firmed renewables is about the same cost even as baseload gas

Mr Power now talking about processing lithium in Australia. This is a huge opportunity to play a positive role in making the most of clean energy

Mr Power is asserting that high energy costs have lead us to import more fertiliser.

Most of the growth in fertiliser imports occurred prior to the LNG export terminals pushing gas prices up, and associated disasters in electricity policy

NCCC reckons it has consulted with ~1000 groups.

Most of these are just groups that signed up to webinars.

Lambie would like to know who the NCCC wants to speak to, who is in the diaries, who is not on the list?

Will there be any public consultation?

"We're still working it out" - AFTER they have submitted their manufacturing report.

Mr Power pointing out many of the gas industry don't like what the NCCC is doing and calling for.

Mr Power refuses to guarantee to Lambie that no one on the NCCC will stand to benefit from its gas plans.

Mr Power now claiming that Strike Energy could be /disadvantaged/ by the NCCC's gas proposals.

Mr Power owns shares in FMG - where which he used to be CEO.

Fortescue supported east west pipeline linkage and was trying to get into Browse gas leases in WA and bring it onshore.

Mr Patrick now pursuing concerns about conflicts of interest over FMG. It was pushing for new gas leases and pipelines.

Mr Power says he has nothing to do with FMG's strategy now.

Again, this is completely irrelevant. He is advising government NOW.

Hearing wrapped up for today.

Ahem senator Patrick