Victoria to ban all new homes from having a gas connection

Daniel Andrews Labor government has taken the extraordinary step of banning the option of connecting natural gas to homes in a bid to halve carbon emissions by 2030.    

Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio and Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny announced the changes to energy supply on Friday morning, with the policy set to be introduced on January 1, 2024.

In addition to residential housing, any new public buildings which are yet to reach design stages by the cut off date – including schools, police stations and hospitals – must be entirely electric. 

Commercial properties will be exempt.

The move has prompted swift backlash from breakfast radio kingmakers Kyle and Jackie O. 

Sandilands branded the Victorian Premier a ‘wandering eyed flop’ in a sensational blow up about the policy.

‘I’m sick and tired of everyone thinking we’re idiots,’ he said. ‘These laws are for idiots.’

‘That government sucks ass. That wandering eyed flop down there can’t have the Commonwealth Games because he can’t budget, now he thinks ”I’ll get the woke losers to vote for me by getting rid of gas”.

The change comes despite electricity power prices soaring by more than 50 per cent in just one year. 

‘The gas is getting eradicated yet eletricity is going through the roof and now we’re forced to do that? This is some bulls**t,’ Sandilands said. 

The government hopes these new changes will shave up to $1,000 from household energy bills each year. 

There is also a hope that there will be cash savings because households will no longer need a gas connection. 

Daniel Andrews government has previously flagged their intention of phasing out gas use in residential homes.

Gas cooking is set to become a thing of the past in Victoria (stock)

Ms D’Ambrosio said in July it was ‘time to put gas on the backburner’ in the wake of massive price hikes due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

New data recently revealed struggling Victorians are increasingly relying on government energy bill relief grants amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

More than 86,000 of the grants have been distributed in nine months. 

The Essential Services Commission revealed 67,413 residential customers required electricity bill assistance in March, the highest number since the relief scheme began in 2019.

Another 55,415 households had help to pay their gas bills over the course of the month.

Even still, a 25 per cent hike was brought in on July 1, spiking annual power bills again by $352 for residential customers and $752 for small businesses.