Labor caught out in Central Coast gas farce

03/08/10

The new Julia Gillard claims she is in control of her election campaign – but is she in control of the Central Coast candidates installed by the faceless men of the NSW Labor Party?

Labor candidate for Robertson Deb O'Neill and Labor MP for Dobell Craig Thomson have been caught out making misleading comments concerning the future of a controversial gas drilling project off the Central Coast.

Yesterday they claimed the drilling was not going to go ahead – and claimed credit for this supposed victory over the company.

This contradicts comments by the company, Advent – which stands by its statement to the ASX on 27 July that the project has merely been delayed.

Advent’s statement makes it clear that it intends to begin drilling in the fourth quarter of 2010, having previously intended to start in July.

As a publicly-listed company, Advent would be obliged to inform the ASX if the project was stopped.  Advent has made no such statement. In fact, a spokesman for the company confirmed today in ‘The Australian’ that, contrary to Labor’s claim, the drilling project will proceed.

Will Julia Gillard demand her Labor colleagues retract their statements and be honest with the local community, when she visits the Central Coast today?