Thursday, 21 March 2024

Gas supply and prices

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (17:43): (806) I want to draw the chamber’s attention, and particularly that of the Minister for Energy and Resources, to the extraordinary documents that have been released by AEMO today, the Australian Energy Market Operator. They have laid out a terrible future for Victoria, a Victoria that is going to be hit with real issues of energy supply. It is clear that in coming years – and not too many years, just two or three years – we are going to face significant shortages of energy, particularly gas. Those shortages are going to really hurt families and they are going to really hurt small businesses, and those businesses include manufacturing businesses that are dependent on gas supplies.

This government has been in power now for 10 years. They have had ample time to get in place a reliable supply, and what they have not done is get a reliable supply of gas. They have blocked off the ability for those who would explore to explore for onshore conventional gas, of which Victoria –

Harriet Shing interjected.

David DAVIS: We know it is a rubbish survey and we know that there is onshore gas, and why would you block the aptitude to get to it? We know the failings in that survey are very well understood. And we know –

Harriet Shing interjected.

David DAVIS: Look, I am just telling you, and this is one of the problems with your government: your minister will not listen to industry, and industry is saying that there is onshore gas and we should get it, because Victoria will need it. We need a proper process and we need to get on, and the minister needs to start listening to industry and engaging with industry instead of adopting an ideological approach to the gas sector. She is trying to close it down with her gas bans. It is bizarre, it is ideological and it is damaging. Ten years of closing off options for Victoria is a disaster for this state, and now we see 10 years in that the government has not planned properly for the future and has not planned properly for the way forward to make sure that we have got secure electricity on one hand but a secure gas supply on the other.

So what I am seeking for the minister to do now is convene a crisis committee to deal with Victoria’s gas supply. She needs to bring in key people in industry one by one and actually work with them to establish a way forward. She is bereft of ideas and bereft of an approach that actually would solve the problem. We need a practical approach. She needs to listen to the sector, she needs to engage and she needs to find practical conclusions that will guarantee the gas does not go off for industry and the gas does not go off for households. The truth is in a cold Victorian winter losing gas will be devastating for many households, and if that is where we end up because of Lily D’Ambrosio’s failure and incompetence, it will be a disaster, and if we lose industries, which is already beginning to happen as we know now – (Time expired)