No to onshore gas
Speech delivered on Wednesday 25 May 2016 to Victorian Parliament
Ms SANDELL (Melbourne) — The community is still waiting for the Andrews Government to make a decision on whether to open up Victoria to the toxic onshore gas industry, and so today I rise to speak in favour of a permanent ban on onshore gas.
People from all walks of life have come together to protect our land and water, to protest the industrialisation of our landscape, and to lock the gate to fossil fuel companies.
I extend my heartfelt thanks to Chloe Aldenhoven, Ursula Alquier, Friends of the Earth, all the Gasfield-Free towns and communities, and the many other activists and community leaders who have helped build this resistance movement.
Fundamentally, this campaign is about democracy in its purest form.
Even if we leave aside the chorus of geologists, hydrologists, ecologists, health professionals, peak bodies and energy experts saying onshore gas in Victoria is a bad idea, which it is -- the people have said, resoundingly, no.
I want to applaud every single Victorian who has had the courage to stand up to this toxic industry.
And I want to remind the Andrews Labor Government how significant this decision is. To ignore the community’s calls for a ban on onshore gas would be to betray our democracy, and betray the Victorians this Government was elected to govern.
I sincerely hope the community will soon be rewarded with a permanent ban on onshore gas, and I’ll keep standing alongside them until a ban is in place.