MP clarifies gas stance

BASS MLA Brian Paynter has rejected claims by the State Government that the Coalition will permit fracking if elected at the November state election.
He told Parliament last Wednesday, “It is clear that Victorian gas consumers are now paying the highest prices in the country because of the Premier’s mindless bans on conventional and unconventional gas exploration.”
The government yesterday (Monday) issued a statement saying Mr Paynter’s statement indicated the Liberal would allow fracking – a method of extra coal seam gas with possible environmental impacts.
But Mr Paynter told The Star yesterday, “I’m completely 100 percent against fracking and always have been and will be, and so have the Liberals and Nationals.
“The only ones who have issued a fracking licence are the Labor Party.”
Mr Paynter said while in Parliament, he mistakenly read a direct quote from the former federal Minister for the Environment and Energy, Josh Frydenberg.
Mr Paynter said, “The Liberal-Nationals do not support fracking and in fact placed a moratorium on fracking licences in Victoria when they came to government in 2010. The Liberal-Nationals support the ban on fracking in Victoria.”
He said a Coalition Government would support and maintain the existing ban on fracking.
Mr Paynter said all governments, including Victorian Labor, were looking at onshore conventional gas.
“The cost of living – electricity and gas – is a massive issue for all of my constituents,” he said.
“We do need to look at safe, conventional means of extracting gas. The government is looking at it and we will look at it.”
Victorian Minister for Resources Tim Pallas said, “Labor introduced the fracking ban, and only Labor will keep the ban in place.
“The Liberals have always been soft on the ban – and once again they’ve confirmed they’ll reverse it if given the chance.”
Anna Hall, of Coal and Gas Free Mirboo North, asked if the community could trust the Liberals to respect the fracking ban legislation.
“Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has declared that he wants to see as much gas exploration and mining as possible. We need to value our agricultural land and keep it safe from this dangerous industry,” she said.
“Do we want our beautiful, precious part of the world to become like Queensland where there are now over 7000 gas wells?”

Short URL: /?p=25774

Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Sep 11 2018. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry