Stop the ban on new gas connections

The petition of certain citizens of the State of Victoria draws to the attention of the Legislative Council to the Victorian Government’s proposal to ban new natural gas connections.

Plumbers and gas fitters with over 20 years of experience in the industry know gas plays an essential role in Victorian homes, businesses and industry. The mind boggles at the short-sightedness of destroying such a reliable, affordable, and skilled sector. This ban will force households onto expensive and unreliable electricity, dramatically increasing winter bills. It will also destroy thousands of Victorian jobs including plumbers, contractors, manufacturers, and suppliers. Companies such as Braemar have already left the state and others like Dux and Rinnai at risk of closure. Undermining energy security by removing a proven, flexible fuel source will place greater strain on an already unstable electricity grid. Victorians are being stripped of consumer choice, while the gas industry is being silencing through anti-competitive advertising bans.

No country in the world has eliminated natural gas. Other jurisdictions are investing in renewable gas alternatives such as biomethane and hydrogen blending, not tearing out their networks. We call on the Government to abandon its ban, restore choice, and support renewable gas innovation.

The petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Council call on the Government to stop the ban on new natural gas connections and remove all current and proposed policy and legislation to this effect being enforced on the Victorian people.