Mr J. BULL (Sunbury) — What a pleasure it is to follow the member for Benambra. I have not heard a whole heap of contributions from the member for Benambra over the last couple of years, but that one was certainly a very special one nonetheless. The member in his contribution said gas — —

Honourable members interjecting.

Mr J. BULL — Did he? Well, I have been called far worse. The member in his contribution said that gas is gas. I am going to call on some of the science degree that I have actually got. I could just think off the top of my head of some of the types of gases that there are — argon, carbon dioxide, helium, neon, hydrogen — and just like there are many types of gases, member for Benambra, there are also different types of mining methods. We, the Andrews Labor government, are banning hydraulic fracking as well as coal seam gas, as studies prove that this is the greatest threat to groundwater.

I am very pleased to have the opportunity to talk on this very important bill before the house. We know that this is an issue that has significant impact on farmers and on our regional communities right across the state. It is an issue that has attracted the greatest public interest, and there is obviously much media coverage, as we have seen. I know we will look back on today when this historic bill was put before the house, a very important bill for the protection of both our environment and our regional and rural communities.

The Andrews Labor government is not afraid to take on the tough decisions and make the hard calls. Unlike what we see day in, day out from Canberra, we know that this government has an agenda and is driven by its strong policies, underpinned by its determined values. We said in opposition that we would have a proper process to consider onshore gas, and we have delivered on that promise. The parliamentary inquiry, established in May 2015, considered all evidence, including the views of the Auditor-General. The inquiry received over 1600 submissions — a record, I believe — and heard from the community, industry, affected farmers, the resources sector and also licence-holders. The inquiry tabled its final report in December 2015, along with four minority reports. As we have heard this afternoon, the inquiry was unable to reach a consensus.

Do you know who else has not been able to reach consensus on this issue? Those opposite. If you look at the Australian newspaper today, a headline says: ‘PM slams gas policy backed by state Libs’. Uh-oh! The article says:

The split between the federal and Victorian coalitions over energy policy has dramatically widened, with Malcolm Turnbull blasting the state’s Labor government for ‘locking up’ gas supplies on an ideological basis on the same day that his Victorian counterparts voted to support the policy.

The state coalition will today reveal plans to wave through the Andrews government’s legislation to prevent all coal seam gas exploration and mining as well as extending a moratorium on onshore conventional gas exploration and development until 2020.

Here the cracks — or should I say the fracks — start to emerge. I know that yesterday was certainly not a good day for the Prime Minister. He spent much of his time in his office trying to appease those in the hard right, and in doing so he did not make any friends in the left and made absolutely no progress on his so-called jobs and innovation agenda for the nation. Cory Bernardi’s departure was just another slap in the face.

The article goes on to say:

Federal energy minister Josh Frydenberg said last night the heavy-handed approach was inappropriate. ‘More gas means more jobs and more investment’, he said. ‘Rather than pursuing statewide moratoriums and bans on conventional and unconventional gas exploration, the best way forward is a case-by-case approach that allows you to take into account relevant environmental and economic factors’.

So as we have seen time and time again from those opposite, they are nothing but a shambles. We saw after four long, dark, miserable, lonely, wasted years from those on the other side that they are split, and we can even see that in a number of the contributions of this afternoon, none more so than in that of the member for Benambra. The Nationals here say they support the bill; at the federal level they oppose it. The Nationals really need to decide whether they stand with their coalition partners or with Victorian farmers. The Andrews Labor government takes — —

Ms Kealy interjected.

Mr J. BULL — It is good to see The Nationals in the house. The Andrews Labor government takes a very different approach. We consulted directly with the community, industry, farmers and local governments in the Otways and Gippsland, and for years farmers and regional communities have campaigned against this risky practice. No doubt honourable members will be able to reflect on the time they have spent in rural and regional communities — time with family, time away on various vacations and holidays. Our image as a clean, green state, our whole range of national parks and our fantastic waterways right through the Gippsland to Otway regions are something that we really need to be proud of. It is something that we need to protect, and we need to work very hard to ensure that these areas are protected not just for our generation but for future generations to come.

A number of farmers spoke to us about the threat to their land, their livelihood and the threat to the reputation of Victoria’s agricultural sector. Families spoke to us about the risk to their health. It is certainly something that this government has listened to, and by way of the legislation before the house and the announcement last year, we can see that this is a government of action.

Victoria is the nation’s top food and fibre producer, and we have an international reputation for high-quality, clean produce. Any risk to this reputation is a risk to the economy and a risk to jobs. The bill ends the quite high level of anxiety that is felt through regional Victoria that has existed around this practice for too long, and the decision shows what can be accomplished by a government that is prepared to always put people first and listen to the community. That is exactly what we were elected to do, and that is what we are doing — supporting Victorian farmers and their families in regional communities by protecting their produce and, of course, our environment.

We hear so much from The Nationals about how they stand up for farmers and how they support farmers, but it really is time that they listen and step up. I certainly know that the member for Lowan is prepared to step up for her community. I just think that so often they come into this place and lecture the government about the support given to farmers in rural communities, but time and time again I see the Premier and the Minister for Agriculture out in these communities delivering, whether it be through fire and drought relief or all the significant investments that this government makes within these extremely important local communities that are often very close-knit communities.

This is an important piece of legislation. We know that Victoria is Australia’s largest producer and exporter of food and fibre products. This is built upon our reputation for quality, safety and reliability. Farmers that rely heavily on this image will certainly benefit from this legislation. If you look at the numbers, the sector accounts for 4.9 per cent of gross state product, and in 2014–15 it accounted for around half of the state’s total goods exports. Through 2015–16 Victoria’s food and fibre exports were valued at $11.9 billion — a significant amount of money. We make up 26 per cent of Australia’s total food and fibre exports, and Victoria continues to be Australia’s largest state exporter.

We know that around 195 000 Victorians, mostly in rural and regional areas, are employed in the agricultural sector. Certainly in my electorate, although it is not defined as a regional or rural community, we have some great hobby farms around Sunbury itself. Those communities are of great value to the local constituency. Those operators are always prepared to come in and speak to me in my office around practices and procedures that they think will benefit them. Food and fibre has also been identified as a key future industry for Victoria as part of the government’s Future Industries Fund, and I have spoken about what I believe to be our great investment in these communities.

I want to take the opportunity in the time that I have remaining to thank members of the parliamentary committee that worked very hard on this issue; the 1600 submitters, of course; and all those who took the time to write to the government about the issue. In particular, I would like to acknowledge the Premier and both ministers for making this bill possible, certainly for the long-term stability through this long-term ban to ensure that these areas are protected for good, that the environment is protected and that the health of these communities remains for good. I am very proud of the bill, and I commend it to the house.