Rhett Burnie
THE push to connect Wandong and Heathcote Junction to natural gas has reignited after Deputy Premier Peter Ryan released a statement last week saying $100 million would be spent connecting the service to several areas, but failed to mention either town.
Mr Ryan’s statement came just four months after Premier Ted Baillieu and Member for Seymour Cindy McLeish announced the Coalition’s plan to extend natural gas services across the state during a visit to Wandong.
Wandong and Heathcote Junction were both mentioned in pre-election documents by the Coalition, which outlined the party’s plan to connect regional towns to a natural gas.
But in his statement, Mr Ryan does not mention either town despite listing a number of others that will be connected including Avoca, Lakes Entrance, Invermay, Winchelsea, Heathcote, Orbost, Warburton, Marong, Bannockburn, Terang, Maldon and Huntly
Wandong-Heathcote Junction Community Group (WHJCG) Secretary Allan Hall said the group was determined to see both towns connected to a natural gas pipeline in the near future.
The WHJCG sent a letter to Member for Seymour Cindy McLeish in late January requesting a timeline for the proposed project but say they are yet to receive a written response.
“We had a verbatim response saying we’ll have to get together,” Mr Hall said.
“We would like to know when they are looking at doing this.
“We’re not going to give up - it’s a big issue.”
In the letter, Mr Hall details how desperate the towns are for the service.
“Our community has eagerly and desperately waited for the connection to natural gas and despite several promises to do so by the previous State Labor Government we have been continually overlooked ...
“The WHJCG would appreciate your advice, on a regular basis, regarding the proposed gas connection procedures and timelines to be followed to enable residents to be kept informed.”
Mr Hall said he personally knew “quite a few” residents who had relocated to nearby towns where natural gas was available.
“Even as a group we’ve (the WHJCG) lost one volunteer to Kilmore over gas.”
He said property values in the area could also be suffering because current and potential residents do not want the hassle of having to supply their own heating and hot water.
“A lot of people choose to go to Wallan or Kilmore because of this,” he said.
“I’ve been there 25 years and when I got there I didn’t mind chopping firewood but now it’s a different story,” Mr Hall said.
He said most residents use wood heating during winter because gas bottles and electric heating are expensive.
Some residents who had lost their homes in the Black Saturday bushfires had chosen to rebuild in other towns where natural gas was available, Mr Hall said.
He said having the service would help enhance the appeal of both towns.
“I think it would help developers to look at Wandong Heathcote Junction a lot more.”
Ms McLeish told The North Central Review that she was dedicated to getting Wandong and Heathcote Junction connected despite the towns being left off Mr Ryan’s statement.
“That (statement) mirrors the press release pre-election,” she said.
“I want Wandong and Heathcote Junction at the top of the list, you can bet your bottom dollar.
“I have reminded the deputy premier’s office of that.
She said she was not able to provide a timeline because one did not exist.
The Coalition’s announcement follows several broken promises by the previous Labor Government to fund a natural gas connection for both towns.
