Victorian government wants to take frack ban a step further

Premier Dan Andrews said the ban would protect prime agricultural land for good, ensuring the world knew Victorian food was “frack-free.”

“Labor introduced the fracking ban, and only Labor will keep the ban for good – backing our hard-working farmers and protecting our world-class food and fibre industry, which employs close to 200,000 Victorians,” Mr Andrews said.

The Resources Legislation Amendment (Fracking Ban) Act passed the Victorian Parliament in March last year, banning all onshore unconventional gas exploration and development, including hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’. 

“Our clean, green produce is the envy of the world, and we want to keep it that way – we won’t let gas companies destroy our prime agricultural land,” Mr Andrews said.

At its July conference, the Victorian Farmers Federation affirmed its support for the continued ban on fracking, and the moratorium on onshore gas exploration, until 2020.

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, involves sending a mix of water and lubricants down a well to force open cracks and fissures holding oil or gas.

Resources Minister Tim Pallas said the opposition supported fracking and would remove the ban if they were given a chance.

“They’ve promised to cut resources red tape – that is code for bringing back fracking,” Mr Pallas said.

But the Liberal leader Matthew Guy ruled out fracking at the VFF’s July conference.

While gas and electricity costs were “out of control”, there was no move to allow fracking.

“But when we say we want to reverse the moratorium on on-shore conventional gas exploration, that does not involve fracking,” Mr Guy said.

“It doesn’t need to involve fracking; it shouldn’t.

“We have conventional  supplies that have been sourced and capped for the best part of 30 years.”

A royalty sharing scheme, giving landholders 10 per cent of the money paid to the government, as well as a veto on exploration and development are also part of the coalition's policy.

The State government has also promised to provide $1 million for export-focused marketing activities, to promote Victoria’s clean and green food and fibre sector to the world. 

The investment would fund a number of Minister-led inbound and outbound trade missions, bringing leaders from agriculture, food processing and government together with major purchasers of agricultural exports.

The government said the campaign would kick off next year, capitalising on the Global Table event in Victoria in 2019. 

Global Table will be the largest food business event ever staged in Australia, with more than 5,000 participants. 

It will involve a series of internationally-focused business events that will promote Victoria as the destination for investors and traders to connect with business leaders from across the globe. 

The coalition has promised a $40 million investment and to set up the Grow Victoria: Food and Fibre Exports Program as a priority.

The program included market access, food security, research and development, skills and technology, regulatory reform and red tape reduction and infrastructure investment.

“We will help Victorian local farmers and food manufacturers get more Victorian products into the rapidly expanding high-value markets, that are on our doorstep in south-east Asia and we’ll help them pursue opportunities in other exciting growth markets, like China, Japan and the Middle East,” National Party leader Peter Walsh said.

The program would set a strategic roadmap for the industry’s growth, over the next decade.

Mr Walsh said the coalition wanted to get the government out of farmers pockets and off their backs.

“We want to see a major reduction in red and green tape,” he said.

 There would also be a focus on selling produce into higher value markets.

“You can sell anything, anywhere in the world, if you are prepared to take the price on it,” he said.

“It’s about working with farmers to make sure we move up the value chain and capture value for farmers, not just those in the middle of it.

“You can sell anything; it’s selling it at a profit, that’s the key thing.”