The Andrews Labor Government has slammed Malcolm Turnbull for playing favourites with its gas policy — hurting Victorian households, businesses and industry.

The Turnbull Government today announced it will reward onshore fracking projects but not fund gas development opportunities off the Victorian coast under its biased Gas Acceleration Program (GAP) policy.

Even drilling from onshore to access offshore gas resources, which currently occurs near Port Campbell, is excluded from the politically-motivated Turnbull Government scheme.

The Labor Government banned fracking to protect our valuable farming sector – a sector that earns around $13 billion a year in exports and employs around 190,000 people.

Fracking just isn’t worth the risk, particularly when we have other, better gas resources available.

The Federal Government’s very own Offshore South East Australia Future Gas Supply Study, released on 24 November 2017, found that “offshore south east Australia basins have sufficient known gas resources to provide gas to the local market for the next 20 years”.

South-east gas exported by major Liquid Natural Gas companies is driving up the cost of living, placing Victoria’s manufacturing industry under pressure and putting jobs at risk.

Malcolm Turnbull could fix this by stopping the open-slather export of Victorian-processed gas — but he refuses to, which is hurting Victorian households and businesses.

The Turnbull Government has also repeatedly declined the Victorian Government’s offer to join the Victorian Gas Program to expand the exploration and development of offshore gas and underground gas storage.

Despite the Commonwealth’s gas policy failure, the Labor Government is getting on with its $42.5 million Victorian Gas Program, which is supporting further commercial investment in offshore gas exploration and development, investigating underground gas storage and assessing the potential for onshore conventional gas.

Quotes attributable to the Treasurer and Minister for Resources Tim Pallas

“Excluding Victoria from the Gas Acceleration Program is another petty decision from the anti-Victorian Turnbull Government.”

“The Turnbull Government playing favourites on gas policy will hurt hard-working Victorian households and businesses.”