Lock the Gate Alliance today congratulated the Victorian Labor Government on its leadership in being the first Australian state to put a permanent ban on unconventional gas mining, and said that it should lead to COAG reversing its push for expanded gas mining.
Phil Laird from Lock the Gate Alliance said "We want to warmly congratulate the Victorian Labor Government for being the first Australian state to put a permanent ban on unconventional gas mining, and thank Premier Daniel Andrews and his team for their extraordinary national leadership on this issue.
"This outcome is a credit to the brave and determined farmers and community groups who have fought long and hard against risky gas mining, and it is reassuring to see that state governments are starting to listen to people and their demands to protect land and water resources.
“It is ground-breaking precedent that is being watched by people across the country, and it will set the benchmark for states who are prepared to listen to their constituents and prioritise agricultural, tourism and renewable energy businesses, over the financially unstable, short-term gas industry.
"The ban announced by the Victorian Government today, plus the promise by the incoming NT Labor Government to implement a moratorium on all shale gas activities, has left the recent COAG push for expanded unconventional gas mining in tatters.
"The Federal Government is woefully out of touch on this issue and the community has not been swayed by their confected gas supply crisis.
“We're calling on Federal Environment and Energy Minister, Josh Frydenberg, to urgently visit communities threatened by gas mining across the country, reconsider his position, and respond in a similar fashion to the Andrews government" he said.
