This government has produced the gas substitution roadmap which supports an aggressive "all-electric pathway", but we've yet to see any substantive legislation to bring about this change.

The Independent Panel for Victoria's Emissions Reduction Targets released a report which argues that domestic gas must be completely phased out by 2038 if we are to meet the net-zero targets that we as a community voted for and support.

The Grattan Institute has collected some data which shows that each year, more Victorians are joining the gas network than leaving it. Which means that every day, we are adding more houses to a network that needs to be shut down in only a few years time.  This lack of certainty and commitment from the government is hurting Victorians, wasting their money and prolonging our climate emissions.  Every day gas appliances reach their end-of-life and are replaced with more gas appliances rather than taking this opportunity to switch to electric appliances. The Grattan data shows that if we made sure those end-of-life units were replaced with electric versions, we would meet our net-zero targets. But we are not on track to achieve this.

The Victorian government is currently considering upgrading the Minimum Standards for Rental Properties to make these properties more energy efficient and allow renters to benefit from the energy transition underway. These are important reforms that we’d like to see implemented immediately.

The Renew Australia For All campaign is a federal campaign backed by a coalition of 60 organisations across Australia which is aiming to ensure that ALL Australians have access to a home that is safe and affordable to heat, cool and cook in, whether they rent, own their home, or live in a house, unit or apartment.

What about the supply shortfall?
The supply shortfall we hear about refers to the ability to meet demand on a handful of peak days in winter. What's needed is not an import terminal, rather substitution and storage.  Half of the gas used in Victoria is used in homes, 71% of that is used for heating and 26% for hot water - we can easily substitute that gas usage through electric heat pumps and save those households money in the process. Rather than bring on a new supply of gas for a handful of days a year, Governments should be regulating to ensure that we store gas to get us through those peaks.

An import terminal will take urgency out of the electrification of our society - which hinders Victoria's economy and delays climate action.  Because the gas terminal will be importing gas on the international market it will also expose Victorian homes and businesses to international gas price shocks.

The Australia Institute has done a deep dive into this shortfall myth, which you can read more about here.