Euroa electorate
Annabelle CLEELAND (Euroa) (14:48): (1248) My question is for the Minister for Energy and Resources, and the question I ask is: why has this government created one of Heathcote’s biggest power crises without securing a reliable alternative supply? This government has allowed Solstice Energy to cut off Heathcote’s gas supply 10 years early, forcing businesses like Palling Bros and Segafredo’s Bakery into costly retrofits and pushing our already unreliable electricity network to breaking point. Nearly 1200 homes and businesses across 10 regional communities will lose gas by the end of next year, including many in my electorate. More than two-thirds of the affected customers use gas for cooking and hot water, and half rely on gas for heating. The Costerfield mine, which employs several hundred people, already relies on diesel generators due to limited power availability. Our local businesses warn this decision would trigger outages, job losses and closures the region simply cannot afford. It is not fair that this government’s ideological war on gas continues to drive up costs and reduce choice for families and businesses in regional Victoria.