The Federal Government just approved a new gas terminal — and we're furious!
We are deeply disappointed — and frankly furious — at the Federal Government's unjust decision to approve Viva Energy's LNG import terminal in Geelong!
This is a terrible decision, at the worst possible time.
Global gas markets are in chaos. The ongoing crisis in the Middle East is driving price spikes in fossil fuels that hurt households and businesses everywhere. Tying Victoria's energy future to volatile gas markets (domestic or international) doesn't make us more secure — it makes us more vulnerable. When prices spike, and they always will — it's always renters, pensioners, and low-income families who suffer most.
And this isn't just about bills. Gas is a polluting, dirty fuel that is terrible for the health of humans and our planet. Importing LNG from anywhere generates climate pollution at every stage — from extraction and shipping, to re-gasification and burning. This terminal is flatly incompatible with Victoria's legislated climate commitments.
We're also deeply concerned for the health of Corio Bay. This approval green-lights industrial dredging near the internationally significant Ramsar wetlands. With a second terminal already proposed nearby, the cumulative damage to the bay — its ecosystems, its aquaculture, its communities — are extremely dangerous and potentially irreversible.
The Victorian Government's Gas Substitution Roadmap lays out a clear path away from continued fossil gas use through electrification and renewables — a path that saves the average household up to $2,230 a year. The most recent Federal approval of this terminal, in conjunction with the environmental approval from Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny last year, is a direct contradiction of this plan.
We need a fast and fair energy transition — one that brings everyone along with it, especially those who need the most support to make the switch. Not this. Not now. Not ever!
This is an election year for the Victorian Government. If you'd like to get involved with Energy Justice, come join our next Collective meeting this Thursday at Friends of the Earth Melbourne- 312 Smith Street, Collingwood - 6pm.
For more information contact Ari Pickering (Energy Justice Collective) - [email protected]