Energy policy
Renee HEATH (Eastern Victoria) (17:35): (430) My adjournment is for the Minister for Energy and Resources, and the action I seek is that the minister acknowledge that banning gas will drive up emissions and fuel the cost-of-living crisis. Just weeks ago the state Labor government banned gas connections to homes from 2024 for the sake of lowering emissions, but I have pointed out repeatedly in this place that banning gas will only force Victorians onto higher emission brown coal because the renewables just do not exist yet. Labor’s announcement to extend Loy Yang A’s lifetime until 2035 was yet another admission by this incompetent government that its green fantasy is a sham. Labor has yet again exposed the truth that when it comes to providing affordable and renewable energy, this is nothing more than a photo opportunity.
At the election Victorians were promised cheaper energy through the SEC, yet bills have increased by 25 per cent. Ten months in, Labor has not identified any projects and no SEC funding partners have been named. This is a manipulation, and families in my electorate are sick of it. They deserve cheap, reliable baseload power. They deserve to have a real conversation on utilising Victoria’s abundance of natural resources. State debt is at an all-time high, the cost-of-living crisis is out of control and I ask the Labor government to start considering the impact that their policy will have on the average Victorian.