Gas substitution road map
Dr READ (Brunswick) (14:24): My question is for the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change. The government promised it would release its gas substitution road map in the first half of this year, of which there is only a week left, but it has been reported that its release will now be delayed until after the November election. I ask the minister to advise: when will the government release this vital energy plan?
Ms D’AMBROSIO (Mill Park—Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Minister for Solar Homes) (14:25): I thank the member for Brunswick for his question. I will remind the member for Brunswick that the gas substitution road map was actually our initiative, and it is an initiative that is well on the way. It will be released when we are ready to release it. But can I assure the member for Brunswick that we do not wait for documents to be released before we take any action, if that is where he wants to take this conversation. We have absolutely got a track record that is second to none right across this country in terms of growing renewable energy and in terms of decreasing our carbon emissions at the fastest rate of any jurisdiction in this country. We are doing that today, we did that yesterday and we will continue to do it tomorrow and into the future.
Dr READ (Brunswick) (14:26): I guess that during the current energy and climate crises, with gas prices rising, local supply diminishing and plans to import gas through Corio Bay, we really do need a future energy strategy on gas. Would the minister agree that delaying the release of the transition plan means potentially preventable increases in Victorian household energy bills and preventable increases in carbon emissions will continue unnecessarily over the coming months while we wait for this?
Ms D’AMBROSIO (Mill Park—Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Minister for Solar Homes) (14:26): I thank the member for Brunswick for the supplementary question, but I think that supplementary question was written before my answer to the substantive question. As I have said, we are leading the country in terms of the plan to decarbonise our energy system. It is not just about electricity, it is about gas too, and we are absolutely very aware of the rising cost of gas and the impacts that is having right across our economy. Can I say, for those reasons, I do want to lead the member for Brunswick to the very fact that Victoria is the best insulated state when it comes to those rising costs because of the ambition that we were delivering yesterday, are today and will continue to do tomorrow.