‘I don’t need another complication’: NSW won’t follow Victoria’s gas ban

NSW Premier Chris Minns has ruled out a ban on gas connections to new homes, saying the government doesn’t need “another complication”.

Less than 24 hours after Energy Minister Penny Sharpe said the government was considering the electrification of households as part of a suite of options to reduce the state’s emissions, Minns and deputy premier Prue Car both used morning radio to categorically put a line through the prospect.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has ruled out a ban on gas for new households .Credit: AAP

On Friday, Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio announced new homes and government buildings would only be allowed connections to all-electric networks from January 1, 2024 as a mode of reaching the state’s net-zero emissions targets by 2045.

Despite warning the state government’s own medium-term target, 50 per cent reduction by 2030, would be “tricky” to reach, Minns rejected the idea NSW would seek to implement a ban on gas, saying he would not seek to compound the state’s existing energy woes.

“We’re not pursuing that,” Minns told 2GB host Ben Fordham on Monday morning.

“We’re facing a situation where we need gas for industry. We’ve also got baseload power that’s coming off in the next few years and not enough renewables coming into the system. So, I don’t need another complication or another policy change, when the challenges ahead of us are so serious.”

Rather than an environmental or climate issue, Minns said the Victorian government’s decision to outlaw gas in new buildings had been driven by “scarcity”, but also noted Victoria’s emissions from gas were twice that of NSW.

Minns’ position was in stark contrast to Sharpe, also the state’s environment minister, who on Sunday said the government was not ruling out electrification and was looking at “all the options” to reduce the state’s emissions.

“Electrification is very much part of the solution, but it’s not something that we’re ready to press go on anytime soon,” she said.

The Victorian government estimated the move would save households between $1,000 to $2,200 (if solar was installed) off their annual energy bills. The state has the highest use of residential gas in the country, with about 80 per cent of homes using the energy source.

Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio (left) with Premier Daniel Andrews.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui

While the move received praise from a number of peak bodies, including Environment Victoria, the Property Council of Australia and Master Builders, it faced criticism from gas producers, pipeline owners and the opposition, who accused the state government of making “policy on the run”.

Victoria’s ban on gas came soon after a similar move in the ACT, with the government outlawing new gas connections in June.

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