Australia news LIVE: Albanese apologises for crude hot mic moment with Bowen during climate talks; Senate to vote on new domestic gas reservation laws

A broad alliance of business chiefs and unions has mounted a last-minute push for the Coalition to pass Labor’s domestic gas-reservation laws, warning that scuttling or delaying the scheme will put hundreds of thousands of industrial jobs at risk and inflate household energy bills.

The Senate is due to vote this week on legislation to compel liquefied natural gas shippers to hold back up 20 per cent of their annual export volumes for the local market from 2028. The Albanese government argues this will head off domestic shortfalls and curb the costs of heating, electricity and manufacturing.

However, the bill faces defeat without major amendments. The Coalition has signalled it would not vote for it in its current form, while the Greens have rejected the legislation, demanding a 25 per cent tax on gas exports instead.

In a major intervention, organisations representing heavy manufacturers, petrochemical firms, aluminium smelters and factory workers have signed a joint letter urging senators to back the bill before federal parliament rises for the year.