VIC: Early gas reconnection may have risked lives: Kennett

AAP General News (Australia)
04-22-1999
VIC: Early gas reconnection may have risked lives: Kennett

MELBOURNE, April 22 AAP - Lives would have been put at risk if Victoria's gas supply had
been reconnected earlier following the Longford explosion, Premier Jeff Kennett said today.

"If we had gone back a couple of days earlier, as Esso are now saying we could have and I
think they said at the time, there was no guarantee of the safety of the public and there was
no guarantee that the supply was going to be able to be maintained," Mr Kennett told radio
3AW.

Esso has said it may launch legal action against the state government and gas network
manager VENCorp as part of its defence in a $1 billion class action for alleged financial
losses during the 10-day gas stoppage in September last year.

The federal court has heard that Esso was ready to resume supplies before the eventual
reconnection but was delayed by the actions of others.

Mr Kennett revealed Esso had indicated they had some gas ready for use but had not insisted
it be put back on and had not been able to guarantee continuing supply.

"They agreed with us that the greatest risk we faced was in fact the reconnections. That
is, we had to educate people properly. It took us an extra two days to educate them.

"Otherwise we could have been confronted with literally an enormous number of incidents,
explosions, that could have taken life, etc."

Victorian Resources Minister Pat McNamara today said he was "astounded" to hear of Esso's
threat.

"Clearly it is a matter that Esso have got to address and I think most commentators really
just see it as blame-shifting," he told AAP.

Esso also indicated it might include the Regulator General and other gas distributors and
retailers into the proceedings.

The civil litigation, brought by firms Maurice Blackburn and Slater & Gordon, has been
billed as the state's largest class action to date.

Esso's appeal against a decision to allow the class action to go ahead will be heard by the
Full Bench of the Federal Court on May 11.

The company must notify the court of the parties it intends to join as co-respondents on
May 14.

AAP lmw/br

KEYWORD: GAS LEGAL KENNETT

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