Albany deserves solutions, not political revisionism

MR RICK WILSON MP
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR O’CONNOR

4th August 2026

Albany deserves solutions, not political revisionism

Let’s make sure we immediately establish one thing: Albany residents and businesses have every reason to be concerned about the future of the town's gas network.

The prospect of households, community organisations and local businesses facing significant transition costs is a serious issue, and it deserves serious discussion.

What it does not deserve is an attempt to rewrite history.

Recently, Samantha Rowe, who has an office in Albany, argued that the decision by ATCO to decommission Albany's gas network was the inevitable consequence of a privatisation decision made more than 25 years ago. But that account ignores both the context of the original decision and the realities facing governments today.

It conveniently ignored two important facts.

First, the decision to privatise Albany's gas network was made more than 25 years ago in a very different energy and economic environment. At the time, governments across Australia were pursuing reforms designed to attract investment, improve efficiency and reduce the burden on taxpayers of owning and maintaining specialised utility assets. The Albany network ultimately passed into private ownership and was operated for decades without the issues we see today.

Second, the decision to shut down the network was not made by the Barnett Government, or indeed by any Liberal government. It was made in 2026 by ATCO, a private operator which determined the ageing network was no longer commercially viable and required substantial investment to replace ageing infrastructure.

What is remarkable about Ms Rowe's argument is that if Labor genuinely believes privatisation was such a catastrophic mistake, then it has had almost a decade in government to do something about it.

Labor has been in office since 2017. If the Albany gas network was so strategically important and public ownership was the answer, why didn't the McGowan Government buy it back? Why hasn't the Cook Government bought it back? Why is the State Government now talking about transition assistance rather than public acquisition?

It is easy to criticise decisions made over two decades ago. It is much harder to take responsibility for decisions that must be made today.

The reality is that the current State Government faces the same challenge any government would face: an ageing LPG distribution network serving around 8,000 customers, requiring major capital investment to remain in service.

If Labor genuinely believes continued operation is in the public interest, no one is stopping the State Government from negotiating a purchase of the asset, funding the required upgrades, and operating it in public ownership. The fact they are not proposing to do so suggests they understand the financial realities involved.

Instead, the Cook Labor Government has focused on a transition package that extends not to every household affected by this transition, but solely to those living in publicly owned dwellings. While assistance is available for government-owned homes, private homeowners, including retirees and pensioners – those least able to afford it - will be left to foot the bill themselves.

Rather than relitigating decisions made a quarter of a century ago, our focus should be on securing the best outcome for Albany households, businesses and community organisations facing significant transition costs.

ENDS

Media contact: Reuben Keyser
Communications and Community Engagement Adviser
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