Forcing gas producers to sell to Australia won't 'crash' prices, King says

Key points

• Resources Minister Madeleine King says national gas reservation laws will not cause prices to crash, though she declined to estimate how far they would fall. The proposed bill would require producers to sell up to a fifth of export-bound gas to Australian buyers, with the energy regulator setting annual volumes at 110 per cent of domestic need.
• The government describes the surplus as modest and says it should ease prices for consumers.
• King said the modelling is commercial-in-confidence, though a separate impact assessment is planned.