Australian Greens: GREENS LAUNCH PLAN TO GET ONE MILLION HOMES OFF GAS

The Victorian Greens will today launch a plan to get one million homes off gas as part of their election campaign for a gas-free Victoria.

The plan would see one million homes supported to ditch gas over the next six years with grants and zero-interest loans of up to $6,000 dollars.

This money would support households to replace old and polluting gas appliances including heating, hot water and cooking with more efficient electric heat pumps and induction cooktops.  

Gas is one of the leading causes of the climate crisis, contributing to 17 per cent of Victoria’s total greenhouse gas emissions. It is also expensive and associated with increased risk of asthma, especially in children.

There are roughly two million Victorian households currently locked into the polluting and dangerous fossil fuel and two-thirds of Australia’s household gas is used in Victorian homes. 

Yet rather than accelerate our transition away from gas, over the last few years the Victorian Labor Government has reversed a hard-won ban on onshore gas drilling, has opened vast areas of pristine coastal waters to new drilling and is backing a program that is paying people to install new gas appliances. 

And while Labor’s recently released gas substitution roadmap is an important first step on Victoria’s pathway off gas, the support for households to replace appliances through the Energy Upgrades scheme is vague and will take too long to get off the ground. 

Victorian Greens acting spokesperson for climate, Dr Tim Read, said the Greens wanted to see Victoria going further and faster to transition away from fossil fuels like coal and gas.

He added that fixing up our homes and making them all-electric would save us money, help our health and make a big dent in reducing Victoria’s emissions.

The Greens’ plan to get one million homes off gas will form part of their comprehensive and bold climate policy heading into the November state election.

Last month the Greens introduced a bill that would update our planning laws so that new homes would no longer be forced to connect to gas, something the Government has since announced it will make law.

Quotes attributable to Victorian Greens acting climate spokesperson, Dr Tim Read:

“The federal election should have been a wake-up call for the major parties. 

“In the middle of a climate crisis our governments need to be going further and faster to ditch polluting fossil fuels like gas. 

“Yet here in Victoria the Andrews Government is pouring more fuel on the fire by supporting new gas drilling.

“Rewiring one million homes to get off gas would save households money, help protect the health of Victorians and drive down our greenhouse gas emissions.

“It’s a no-brainer.”