“The success of the project depends on the Minister of Planning,” says the draft.
“Prior to the state election, the collective group of town councils requests that the Minister of Planning exercise his power to authorize the formal introduction of the attached provision.”
Real estate developer Frasers Property Australia has recently built the Burwood Brickworks Mall, which bans gas for most of the building and relies on renewable energy for energy. Manager Stephen Choi said his tenants paid less for energy than major utility providers could offer, but added that developers who voluntarily gave up gas could be at a disadvantage as a result of preferences. of consumers.
Burwood Brickworks mall manager Stephen Choi says developers who voluntarily ban the gas could be at a disadvantage. Credit: Eddie Jim
“The big discussion is on the subject of competition. Some gas-free developments, in theory, would lose potential tenants or buyers, so it’s not an equal playing field, “Choi said.
The initial investment in induction cookers is more expensive than gas, he said, but it has led to long-term savings thanks to reduced energy bills. He supported councils banning gas, but said there needed to be flexibility for developments where alternatives to gas were not possible.
“We cannot continue to use fossil fuels, especially when there are obvious alternatives. You no longer need gas for a hot water system, you no longer need it for heating. There are some great electric ways to do that that have been around for so long. “
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Yarra City Council is part of the drive to stop gas in new developments, after declaring a climate emergency in 2020 and identifying the use of residential gas as the main contributor to global emissions in the area.
Councilman Stephen Jolly said current legislation has buzzwords about climate change, but does not empower local governments to prevent new developments from blocking gas infrastructure, which can be costly to remove once installed.
“We have all these banners about the climate emergency, we’re writing documents … but every day of the week we’re approving big planning requests, multi-storey developments leading to massive carbon emissions,” Jolly said.
The gas ban would target major developments over individual home renovations, he said.
City councils have long pushed for bike lanes and electric vehicle charging stations, but Jolly said these were secondary issues compared to gas.
According to current regulations, gas connections are mandatory for new buildings. Earlier this month, a parliamentary inquiry recommended that the government consider removing this mandate as part of a plan to accelerate the absorption of renewable energy.
A government spokeswoman noted her “record investments” in renewable energy, but said she did not support the gas ban.
“We are not considering banning gas connections, but we are actively working to remove barriers to all-electric developments to offer consumers more options on how to get their energy needs.”
The developer lobby, the Property Council Australia, argued in its presentation at the state government’s gas consultation that developers were fighting for electrification as it was cheaper, but the key hurdle remained change public gas preference.
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The gas industry pressure group, the Australian Oil Production and Exploration Association, has launched a “Brighter” campaign sponsoring famous chefs, including Adrian Richardson of La Luna, North Melbourne, and Food Influence. of Gold Coast, Georgia Barnes, to promote the benefits of gas cooking. on social media.
A former lobbyist for the association, who could not be named because they were not allowed to speak publicly, said the group has worked for years to shape the public’s perception of gas by promoting the benefits and undermining the research. gas criticism.
“It was literally like – here ‘s an article coming out of [International Energy Agency] about why gas is bad. We will look for as many ways as possible to discredit it, “said the lobbyist.
Grattan Institute energy expert and former home executive Tony Wood said the gas industry had launched a remarkable marketing campaign, where consumers did not realize that heating and electrifying cooking was now more cheaper than burning gas.
“When people like Neil Perry go out in public and say they prefer induction hobs, that’s a powerful message. But I don’t think that message has come out,” Wood said.
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