Gas poll promise

By Dion Teasdale
HOUSEHOLDS and businesses in Warburton would be big winners if the Ted Baillieu led Opposition wins government next month, according to the Liberal Party.
Simon Wildes, Liberal candidate for Gembrook, promised last week that a Liberal Government would connect Warburton to the natural gas network.
He said households connecting to the network would save up to $1200 a year on fuel bills and medium businesses could expect to save up to $30,000 a year on energy costs.
Mr Wildes made the election promise outside the Warburton Waterwheel with Philip Davis, Shadow Minister for Energy and Resources, last Friday.
He said connecting the town to natural gas would create more jobs and ensure businesses remain viable and expand.
Mr Wildes said the main distribution pipeline, installed along the Warburton Highway to Millgrove by the Bracks Government, could be extended to Warburton.
He said the project, estimated by the Bracks Government as costing $4.3 million, would be re-costed and put to tender once a Liberal Government was in place.
“We are committed to getting it down as soon as possible. We hope people in Warburton would have natural gas for winter 2008, if not sooner,” he said.
Tammy Lobato, Gembrook Labor MP, said Mr Wildes’ announcement was an “empty promise”.
“Today’s announcement is another uncosted promise on top of $2.6 billion worth of promises already made. What schools have been earmarked for closure to pay for this? Is Warburton Primary School on their hit list? Is the Warburton Mechanics Institute going to be sold off?”
Ms Lobato defended the Bracks Government’s record of listening to the needs of the Upper Yarra.
“The only State Government to ever connect the Upper Yarra to natural gas is the Bracks Government, and that is the government that has already shown it can be trusted,” she said.
Norman Orr, Warburton Chamber of Commerce secretary, said businesses in the town would welcome the Liberal’s promise.
“The chamber is fully in support of gas coming to the town. It will reduce costs for business and that’s a good thing,” he said.
Mr Orr said people who had lobbied for natural gas would find Mr Wildes’ promise attractive. However, he sounded a word of caution.
“I guess it is like any promise made by a politician – we’ll have to wait and see if it will really happen.”
Sue Mann, a resident who has campaigned hard to get Warburton connected to gas, said she was pleased to see the issue on the political agenda.
Like Mr Orr, she said she remained sceptical. “I never take political promises seriously until I see them come to fruition,” she said.
“It’s good to see gas on the agenda but until its delivered I’ll take all of this with a grain of salt and continue to fight.”
Ms Mann said she was keen to hear what plans the Bracks Government had for extending natural gas to Warburton.