Tuesday, 3 March 2026

 Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (12:51): My question is for the Minister for Energy and Resources regarding the removal of compressed natural gas from 10 regional communities. I previously raised this issue on behalf of residents and note the minister’s response, which raised more questions than it answered. Despite the government being informed of the issues with delivery by Solstice in 2023, the government has now left residents facing increased costs, limited time to change over and no compensation for the removal of the service, despite the contract being cut short 10 years early. Solstice are covering costs for like-for-like appliances for customers moving to LPG, but the government’s rebate system for electric appliances is overly complicated, with variable rebates causing confusion. Time is running out for residents, with plans to cut off the service. Of the 1183 residential and business customers directly impacted, how many are yet to change, and what is the government doing to ensure that residents and businesses are compensated for the removal of this service and not left out of pocket?