Willoughby Council’s proposal to ban gas in new home builds sparks war of words on woks

A war of words over woks has fired up following a push by a Sydney councillor to limit gas stovetops being installed in new homes.

A war of words over woks has fired up following a push by a Sydney councillor to limit gas stovetops being installed in new homes.

Debate has heated up among Willoughby councillors over a proposal to require all new residential developments to install electric cooktops rather than gas in a move to improve air quality inside homes.

Thirteen councils across Sydney have already taken steps to investigate changing local planning laws to deter gas devices being installed in new home builds.

Willoughby councillor John Moratelli has been pushing for Willoughby to follow suit by investigating what powers it has to stop the connection of gas to new dwellings.

The proposal was voted down by a majority of councillors after critics claimed the move could impact the area’s prominent Chinese community who traditionally use gas to cook with woks.

The push to limit gas in new home builds has sparked a mixed response

Despite the vote, Mr Moratelli said he would not give up his campaign and has now called for the council to hold an education campaign to encourage more residents to make the switch to electric.

Willoughby councillor Jam Xia – who opposed the move – said he had been inundated with phone calls, messages and emails from Asian families opposed to placing restrictions on gas.

“When some of the Asian families heard of the proposal I had some really angry and irate phone calls – they were extremely unhappy and were basically calling it a joke,” he said.

Councillor John Moratelli.

Councillor Jam Xia

“They don’t care about other council issues such as potholes but when it comes to cooking they take it very seriously.

“Chinese, Japanese, Malaysians, Vietnamese all cook with gas and in their culture there’s a lot of wok fire cooking.

“If you ban gas it will mean Asian cooking needs to be dramatically changed.”

Wok cooking.

Sydney food blogger Lucy Leonardi – who has Chinese ancestry – has backed the move towards electric, saying modern cooktops can prove just as effective as gas counterparts.

“There’s often resistance to change because of old habits and especially in the older community who have been cooking on gas for decades, having a gas burner is more a visual cue when they cook,” she said.

“But in the world we live in now, we have to think about those habits and consumerism in general.

Woks cooking is a staple in many cuisines.

“When you go to Asian cooking shops, most of the woks have flat bottoms so it’s easy to convert to electric and for the sake of our children and to have good air quality at home.

“The simple fact that cooking a meal for them could be harmful for their health is pretty scary.”

Willoughby councillor Hugh Eriksson said he could not support limiting gas in new residential builds – partly due to previous statements by Premier Chris Minns who has ruled out a state-wide change due to the challenges NSW is facing in the transition to renewable energy.

Councillor Hugh Eriksson pictured in Chatswood.

Mr Moratelli believes councils have a role to play in promoting electric cooking, arguing it can present health and environmental benefits as well as potential long-term financial savings.

“A number of councils have already made changes to their planning controls and to date none of those measures have been challenged or overturned by the NSW Government,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s overreach at all because when it’s brought to the council’s attention that there are ways of improving the health of our residents then we have an obligation to look at all our options.”

Alison Blazey – a doctor at Royal North Shore Hospital – also backed the proposal saying the use of gas in homes can pose respiratory health risks particularly to children.

While the State Government has not supported a statewide ban, the Department of Planning has said it was not involved in the preparation of local planning laws enacted by councils.