Former WA premier Colin Barnett says a “nation-building” gas pipeline connecting WA with the east coast would kickstart a new resources boom and solve the nation’s growing gas shortage.

Barnett says the pipeline would be 2500km long and cost about $5 billion to build, but could be up and running in little more than a year, providing a steady stream of gas from WA to the industry in NSW and Victoria, where he told 6PR Mornings host Simon Beaumont there was a genuine crisis.

“It’s not one that is going to be solved in a couple of months, electricity prices are going to rise by up to 50 per cent in the next two years, we’ve already gone up 18 per cent in the last couple of months,” he said.

Tap PLAY to hear Barnett discuss ownership of gas in Commonwealth waters