By Steve Brooks, Liberal candidate for Northern Victoria Region
Regional Victoria’s continued access to gas means a lot more to our region than simply warming our homes at affordable prices. Much of our Northern Victorian food manufacturing industry and light industrial processing requires gas for processing. Whether it is large scale food manufacturing, or processing of milk powder, Northern Victoria punches above its weight.
The gas used by our local industry is used to process locally produced food for consumers both in Australia and overseas. Ask any chef, or industrial processor, but in many cases, gas must be used in preference to electrification due to the higher temperatures achievable with gas.
The Victorian Labor Party has waged a decade-long war on gas, which has contributed to gas prices increasing 60-70 per cent in the last 10 years. Labor has pushed households and industry away from gas to electrification in the middle of a housing crisis rather than allowing households and businesses to choose how they heat their homes or run their businesses. This mindless march away from a key natural resource will leave our industry sent overseas, our small businesses poorer, our houses colder, and all of us worse off.
If the Liberal Party wins government in November, we will scrap the ban on gas connections for new builds in Victoria. Furthermore, we will unlock new Victorian gas supply, taking action within the first 60 days of taking government. We will do this by inviting the gas industry to propose new gas projects, cut regulatory tape, and insist on domestic usage of gas, rather than it being exported.
A Jess Wilson Liberal Government will throw the door open to gas exploration in our State and has committed to an Energy Security Requirement, which will facilitate new projects meeting energy reliability and security thresholds, based on similar schemes in New South Wales and South Australia.
The Liberal Party of Victoria is calling time on the government tying industry up with new rules, new regulations and not allowing us to utilise the resources needed for industry to thrive.
Having our own food manufacturing industry supported by sensible gas policy is a critical national asset which should not be taken for granted. The Victorian Liberal party will back our industrial food processors and manufacturers with a gas policy that is sensible, and gives them freedom to run their businesses whilst allowing households to utilise Victorian gas at lower prices.
