Lowan electorate
Ms KEALY (Lowan) (14:42:032:): (6428) My question is to the Premier. Businesses in my electorate are facing inevitable closure due to massive increases of gas prices. In some instances they are going from $12 a gigajoule just a few weeks ago to now being quoted at $42 a gigajoule. It is simply unfeasible to do business at that rate, and they will be forced to close. The information I seek is: given that the Andrews Labor government has not renegotiated the Wimmera and Colac gas supply tariff order, which would cut gas prices along the pipeline, what has the Premier done to open up supply of gas to the region to break the gas supply monopoly and the retail monopoly so that residents and businesses in Ararat, Colac, Horsham and Stawell can access fair and competitive prices? We know that even in the domestic market people cannot access pay-on-time or e-billing discounts. We need to make sure the government is either supporting the tariff order or opening up gas supply to our regions so we can have competitive pricing.