2020-06-02
The Victorian Greens will vote against the state government’s Petroleum Legislation Amendment Bill 2020 when it passes through the lower house this week, saying its passage would amount to a climate disaster in Victoria.
The Bill would open Victoria to onshore gas drilling and enable the production of vast quantities of climate pollution. This would in turn cause long-lasting damage to our land, water, plants and animals.
While Premier Andrews claimed the decision was based on ‘science’, the truth is that in putting together this Bill, the government under-estimated emissions from gas drilling by seven times. They completely failed to account for the emissions created when the gas is burnt.
Deputy Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell, said the Premier’s decision to introduce this Bill under the cover of COVID-19 was a body-blow to regional communities and future generations, given the flawed analysis it was based on.
She added that the government should instead support Victorians and big industrial users to get off gas and switch to renewable sources of power.
Gas is a dangerous fossil fuel that is mostly made up of methane that traps more heat in our atmosphere than burning coal.
Quotes attributable to Deputy Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell MP:
"The Premier has gotten the maths wrong on this one. If we open up Victoria to onshore gas drilling we’ll damage our environment and the climate for decades to come.
“A good government would listen to scientists and communities by leaving gas in the ground, and throwing everything it has at building a safe and renewable-powered future.
"The Labor Government announced gas drilling under the cover of COVID-19, hoping Victorians wouldn't notice. But we do notice, and we oppose Labor's plan to drill across Victoria for polluting dangerous gas.”