“The pipeline industry has been waiting for two years for the Federal Government to respond to the Productivity Commission’s 2004 review of the gas access regime,” APIA chief executive Cheryl Cartwright said today.
“APIA is concerned that this delay has been caused by official foot-dragging because parts of the bureaucracy do not want to implement the Commission’s recommended ‘light-handed’ regulation,” she said.
“So, instead of a decision, we have endless reviews and demands on the industry to provide further information.
“This charade has gone on long enough and Mr Macfarlane should resist the bureaucratic ‘push-back’ and release the response to the Productivity Commission’s report on gas access issues.”
Cartwright said some officials were simply camouflaging a resistance to introducing change and a new regulatory approach in the guise of ‘consultation’ and ‘monitoring’ of industry activity.
“The time and cost involved in such activity is clearly detrimental to the industry,” she said.
Welcoming Macfarlane’s ongoing ministerial role after yesterday’s cabinet reshuffle, Cartwright said gas transmission issues must be a top priority in the portfolio.
Cartwright also congratulated Bob Baldwin on his appointment as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources, and thanked his predecessor, Warren Entsch, for his positive contribution to the industry and his interest in APIA.
“APIA urges Mr Macfarlane and Mr Baldwin to make the correct decisions to create the right climate for the massive investment required in gas transmission infrastructure, the Federal Government can make a significant contribution to an efficient and reliable energy supply in Australia for decades to come,” Ms Cartwright said today.
