There's a kind of hypocrisy that has become so normal in Australian politics it almost slips past unnoticed.

Governments say the right things about becoming a "renewable energy superpower" and committing to net zero. But they keep approving new coal and gas projects as if the laws of physics don't apply to Australia.

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas this week called for Santos' polluting Narrabri gas project to be acclerated , saying: "The eco-purists that fill Instagram with screeds demanding an end to gas production should be careful what they wish for. And for the rest of us: are we going to let our energy policy be determined by the socials, or the science?"

It was a cheap shot, designed to blow up on social media, but Malinauskas wasn't the only politician doing free PR

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