Govt refuses to commit to Varanus probe

A government spokesperson has refuted media reports saying Mines and Petroleums Minister Norman Moore has committed to another inquiry in the Varanus Island gas explosion.

The spokesperson told WA Business News that the Minister recognises the need for another investigation that will scrutinise the regulatory processes that led up to the gas explosion in June that cut the state's gas supply by a third.

However he added that Mr Moore would wait until the Senate inquiry into the crisis is finished to determine whether another investigation is warranted.

The only report so far on the gas explosion was undertaken by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority which examined the technical cause of the blast.

Yesterday opposition leader Eric Ripper called for another inquiry into the gas explosion.