State Libs change stance on onshore gas

AN ONSHORE gas industry in the Geelong region is suddenly back on the table, with the state Liberals reversing their support for a Victoria-wide moratorium.

Last week, Opposition Leader Matthew Guy announced his government, if elected next year, would legislate to allow onshore conventional gas exploration and production in Victoria on a case-by-case basis, with landowners given the right of veto.

The Liberals voted a little over a year ago to support the moratorium on the exploration and development of conventional onshore gas being extended until June 30, 2020, but now will give landowners a 10 per cent share of the royalty paid to government of the net post-wellhead sales value of recovered gas.

Liberal Member for Western Victoria Simon Ramsay welcomed the announcement.

“It is an increasingly vital change in policy that will ensure gas remains viable and Victorian homes and businesses can continue to stay warm, cook their meals, or operate their businesses,” he said.

The Victoria-wide ban on hydraulic fracking and coal seam gas exploration remains, and Mr Ramsay said neither he nor his party were a supporter of those techniques.

There is widespread community opposition to unconventional gas in the Geelong region, and activist groups fear an onshore gas industry will eventually lead to fracking.

“All the experts are telling us that the nature of gas reserves in Victoria means that they will all require fracking or unconventional techniques during their lifespan if they are to produce commercial quantities of gas,” Chloe Aldenhoven from Friends of the Earth said.

“We already produce plenty of gas from Bass Strait. This is not a gas supply issue, so there is no point in the Victorian Liberals attempting to bribe landholders for drilling.

“This is a problem caused by the federal government’s drive to create a massive LNG export industry, so we call on the Victorian Coalition to tackle the real problem – national energy policy – rather than re-open the onshore gas debate in Victoria.”

“You can’t bribe us to put our groundwater at risk; it’s just not going to work,” Paraparap farmer Ian Clarke said.

“We know there isn’t any gas supply problem. All this gas is going off to Asia. The Liberals should fix that before they start bribing us to drill on our land.”