Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Minister for Resources and Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

Thanks, Senator McKenzie, for your question. Victoria has had a lucky history in our country from being located among some of our nation's best and cheapest gas resources, including those in the Bass Strait. However, some of those are declining at the moment and Victoria will need to find new gas resources if it wants to maintain its strength in its manufacturing sector. It should be lucky in the future, too, because Geoscience Australia tell us that there are potentially more than 20 trillion cubic feet of gas onshore in Victoria, enough to supply the east coast of Australia for 40 years.

Unfortunately, they are not making their own luck in Victoria at the moment because in the last fortnight the Victorian government has banned the development of unconventional gas and temporarily put in place a moratorium on conventional gas development, a type of gas development that has been used safely for more than 100 years in this country. That is going to put at risk Victoria's economic development. It is going to put at risk jobs in Victoria. I hope the Victorian government sees sense and allows the responsible development of gas in this country to create jobs. (Time expired)