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Bracks Out Of Touch - Another Chilly Winter Ahead

As the nights get cooler, country Victorians can expect yet another winter without natural gas heating thanks to an out-of-touch Bracks Government.

By Philip Davis - 19th April 2005 - Back to News

Shadow Minister for Country Victoria Philip Davis said the Bracks Government has broken its election promise to connect 23 country towns to reticulated natural gas. Not one has been connected.

Mr Davis said Shadow State and Regional Development Minister John Brumby issued a media release last week boasting of an agreement with Envestra to supply gas to towns in the Mornington Peninsula.

But it would seem the tourism precinct of the Mornington Peninsula has been moved to the front of the ‘waiting for gas’ queue while towns promised gas prior to the 2002 election didn’t even rate a mention in Mr Brumby’s media release.

"John Brumby’s media release lists the towns which will also be connected to natural gas under the Natural Gas Extension Program, including those in the Yarra Ranges and Macedon Ranges regions; Port Fairy; Camperdown; Maiden Gully; Barwon Heads; Creswick; Bairnsdale and Paynesville," Mr Davis said.

"But the Minister has obviously forgotten the Bracks Government’s pre-election commitments to the towns of Avoca, Heywood, Smythesdale, Myrtleford, Bright, Beechworth, Nathalia, Yea, Bonnie Doon, Alexandra and Wandong.

"Locals are now wondering where they stand now that they have been bumped to the bottom of the list after waiting so long for Labor’s promise to eventuate.

"John Brumby is responsible for these towns not being connected to gas and he must explain why."

Mr Davis said it was pompous, arrogant acts such as these that have resulted in country Victorians having no confidence in the Bracks Labor Government.

"In a recent newspaper opinion poll in Ballarat, 82.3 per cent of respondents said they believed the Bracks Government was out-of-touch with constituents," he said.

"Country Victorians have simply had enough of the Bracks Government’s backflips, blunders and treatment of them as second class citizens."

Mr Davis said it was evident those living in the towns which were promised natural gas prior to the last election had no hope of being connected before the next election in 2006.

"Despite using the pledge of easing the burden of soaring energy costs by supplying natural gas to these country communities as an election platform, the Bracks Government has yet again double-crossed Victorians and winter will again be an expensive or a chilly one."

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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