The Nationals’ candidate for Gippsland East, Gemma Rendell, says a Liberal and Nationals’ Government will deliver more Victorian produced gas to help lower energy bills, strengthen State’s energy security and support regional jobs.
“Regional families, farmers and businesses are paying the price for more than a decade of Labor’s hostility towards the gas industry.
“For long periods we have had Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio saying Victoria should move away from gas, banning gas connections on new homes and saying there were no gas fields available in Victoria, despite the industry saying there was.
“She also committed to driving energy prices ‘down, down, down’ and all she has delivered is massive bill increases as a result of flawed policy.
“The reality is almost 80 per cent of Victorian households have chosen to use gas, which they rely on, yet Labor has spent years waging a war on an energy source that keeps homes warm, powers businesses and supports the reliability of our electricity system,” Ms Rendell said.
“No-one has been willing to invest in this State while the Minster has been talking the sector down. The gas fields are there, the experts tell us they are, we just need to give them some confidence and they will deliver lower energy bills.
“For more than a decade, Labor failed to issue a single new onshore conventional gas exploration permit. The result has been reduced local supply, rising costs and increasing uncertainty about Victoria’s energy future.”
Within 60 days of taking office, a Liberal and Nationals’ Government has committed to a statewide Request for Proposal process to identify Victoria’s best conventional gas opportunities and bring new supply online sooner.
Ms Rendell stressed this was conventional gas exploration and did not involve fracking, which was not supported.
“Victorians should be free to choose the energy appliances that best suit their households and needs.
