“The fact that Australia’s natural coal seam industry has operated safely for almost 20 years and today provides one-third of eastern Australia’s gas supply, with a workforce of almost 30,000 people in Queensland alone, suggests the Greens are either very slow off the mark, or excessively cynical in an election year,” it said.

“Is the Greens policy to turn our gas taps off and sack these tens of thousands of Australians?”

APPEA said projects under construction would pay about $1 billion in taxes a year that would help fund schools, nurses, roads and infrastructure.

“These gas projects will also provide around 25 million tonnes of cleaner energy every year,” it said.

“As has been the example in the US in recent years – where increased gas consumption has driven down greenhouse emissions to their lowest levels since 1994 – developing and exporting natural gas is arguably Australia’s most meaningful contribution to the reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions . . . a cause on which the Greens are fond of lecturing others.”

Greens Leader Christine Milne yesterday announced the policy for no new coal seam gas and empowering land holders to say no to coal seam gas production on their land.

Mining spokeswoman Larissa Waters said the Greens supported the local community’s rights.

“Only the Greens are working to give landholders the right to say no to coal seam gas on their land and moving to extend new water protections to shale and tight gas mining,” she said.

APPEA said there was one question the Greens continued to dodge.

“Do they agree that a farmer has the right to say yes?”