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Helper And Brumby Offer Hot Air Not Natural GasThe Bracks Government is betraying its election promise to Avoca residents by refusing to connect natural gas to the town despite promising to do so during the 2002 election campaign. By Philip Davis - 21st April 2005 - Back to News Minister for State and Regional Development, John Brumby, yesterday issued a press release stating "reticulation is not possible" for Avoca, despite previously promising the town would be connected.
Shadow Minister for Country Victoria Philip Davis said he now held grave concerns for the other towns which were promised natural gas by the Bracks Government during the last election, but are still without connections.
Not one town in country Victoria has been connected to natural gas during this term of Parliament.
Mr Davis said it was an embarrassing day for the Member for Ripon, Joe Helper, who distributed campaign brochures in 2002 saying "Joe Helper and Steve Bracks, delivering gas to Avoca."
In November 2002, Minister for State and Regional Development, John Brumby, issued a press release titled "Avoca and Smythesdale set to benefit from $70 million gas program."
"The Minister for State and Regional Development, John Brumby, said today that preliminary investigations had shown that Avoca and Smythesdale were strong contenders to be connected to natural gas. Mr Helper had been working hard for the towns to be connected to natural gas and Mr Brumby said he was confident Labor would deliver for the Avoca and Smythesdale communities it if won the 30 November election."
– Bracks Government media release, 12 November 2002.
"Clearly, the only thing Joe Helper was working hard for was his re-election, because he hasn’t delivered gas to Avoca," Mr Davis said.
"To deliberately mislead Avoca residents into believing that a vote for Labor meant a vote for natural gas, and then not deliver, is an absolute disgrace.
"This whole gas program has become the Scoresby of country Victoria – there are broken promises everywhere.
"Prior to the 2002 election, promises were made to connect the towns of Avoca, Heywood, Terang, Smythesdale, Myrtleford, Bright, Beechworth, Nathalia, Yea, Bonnie Doon, Alexandra and Wandong, but nothing further has been heard except the start of the broken promises with Avoca.
Although since the election they have announced and re-announced 27 towns, not one new town has been re-connected to gas.
"Can these towns expect similar announcements from John Brumby in coming weeks that they have also been mislead by the Bracks Government and will not now receive natural gas?"
Mr Davis said this backflip was just the latest in a series that have shown the Bracks Government can’t manage major projects and are out-of-touch with country Victoria.
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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