HIGH PRICE TO PAY: Sharon Williams and Chris Dean of Jindabyne Nurseries say LPG gas is too expensive.By TANIA MARTIN
SILVAN and Monbulk flower growers have been forced to look into buying their own natural gas connection after the State Government failed to include them in its $70 million roll out program.
In 2003, the State Government announced its Natural Gas Extension Program, which would connect towns across Victoria including the Shire of Yarra Ranges to natural gas.
However, parts of Silvan and Monbulk still not connected to natural gas were excluded from the program.
Flower growers in these two towns have been lobbying for more than six years for natural gas and are now looking at paying for their own connection.
Jindabyne Nurseries owner, Chris Dean, said he spends more than $40,000 a year on LPG gas for heating his hot houses.
Mr Dean said the last quote that the growers got for the connection of natural gas was for $250,000.
Monbulk MP James Merlino said the reason these two towns were excluded from the program was because the gas company Mulitnet did not put a bid in to include them.
However, a spokesman for Alinta, the company that manages and operates the Multinet gas network, said Silvan and Monbulk already had a natural gas connection.
The spokesman said it was the outskirts of the two towns that were not connected, and that those areas would need to extend the gas mains to become connected.
A meeting will be held at the Montrose Town Hall on Wednesday, 21 September with local MPs, Multinet, the Department of Regional Development and flower growers.
This meeting will give the growers an opportunity to see the options available for the connection to natural gas.
Mr Merlino said this meeting would provide flower growers with several proposals for the connection to the gas network.
He said some of the proposals would be significantly less than previously quoted.
However, Silvan MP Andrew Olexander said he was pessimistic that the meeting would achieve anything new for the growers.
Mr Olexander said it was already clear that the government expects the growers themselves to commit an exorbitant amount of money for the connection to natural gas.
He said growers can’t just keep getting quotes and having more meetings, someone needs to take responsibility for the connection.
