Albany MLA Scott Leary says the Cook Labor Government still cannot answer basic questions about the proposed closure of Albany’s reticulated gas network, despite repeatedly claiming it is supporting the community through the transition.
“Last week I received the answers to four detailed Questions on Notice to the Minister for Energy, and honestly, the answers were shorter than the questions themselves,” Mr Leary said. “The Government keeps referring to an $80 million figure to replace the network, but as far as anyone can tell, that figure comes from ATCO’s own media statement.”
“There has been no publicly released independent engineering assessment, no detailed modelling and no explanation of how that number was reached.”
Mr Leary said the Government appeared to have accepted the claims of a foreign-owned private company without independently verifying the information.
“That is extraordinary when you are talking about potentially forcing around 8,000 homes and businesses through a major energy transition,” he said.
Mr Leary said the Government’s announcement delaying the decommissioning process until 2027 did not address the bigger issue.
“A delay is not a solution,” he said. “The Government says this gives families and businesses more time to assess their options, but it still cannot explain whether alternatives like staged upgrades or partial replacement of the network were ever properly considered.”
Mr Leary also questioned the Government’s failure to explain what impact the transition would have on Albany’s electricity network.
“Thousands of households shifting hot water systems, heating and cooking appliances onto electricity will place significant additional demand on the grid,” he said. “Where are the plans for transformer upgrades, feeder upgrades and substation capacity? We are not talking about replacing a lamp or a toaster. These are major household systems that cost real money to replace and use significant amounts of power.”
Mr Leary said the Government’s own messaging on regional manufacturing also conflicted with the proposed removal of critical energy infrastructure from Albany.
“You cannot talk about industry development, manufacturing and regional growth while removing an entire energy system from a regional city without clearly explaining the long-term plan,” he said.
Mr Leary said Albany residents deserved transparency and independent scrutiny before any final decision was made.
“This is one of the biggest infrastructure and cost-of-living issues facing Albany in decades,” he said. “The community deserves confidence that every possible option has been properly explored before this network is shut down.”