More than half of Victorians oppose Allan government efforts to phase out gas, polling shows

The Victorian government is facing a growing voter revolt over its efforts to stop households using gas with Labor voters and those living in outer suburban communities increasingly opposed to the policy, new polling shows.

New polling has revealed the state government would face significant voter backlash if it moved to phase out gas connections in existing homes.

Internal tracking data from the Australian Pipelines and Gas Association made public for the first time shows that just a quarter of people support state government moves to phase out gas use.

Figures compiled by polling firm Redbridge since February show a steady decline in support for the policy position, with 55 per cent of respondents opposed to the idea.

Since then, net support for a gas phase-out has dropped further, from -22 to -29.

Critically, the support of Labor voters has dropped from -1 to -9.

The policy is least popular in outer suburban communities.

Support for Victoria’s gas phaseout is falling. Picture: Supplied

The polling was revealed after the Allan government ­announced it would exclude gas stovetops from its net zero by 2045 roadmap.

Premier Jacinta Allan on Monday said: “Victorians can keep cooking with gas.”

But she remain tight-lipped on whether households would be forced to switch other appliances to electric in the future.

She did, however, highlight that “gas is part of our energy transition, but the reality is we’re running out of it”.

Her comments prompted ­industry warnings that Labor had failed to act on gas soon enough and that more needed to be done to protect Victoria’s energy future.

Premier Jacinta Allan has reversed the government’s position on phasing out gas cooktops. Picture: David Beach

Australian Energy Producers Victorian director Peter Kos said the proposal to not ­extend this principle of choice to gas heating and hot water ­appliances was “illogical”.

“There are 2.2 million gas connections in Victoria and over 5.2 million residential gas appliances, and shifting them at great expense on to a fragile, coal-based power grid does not make sense,” he said.

“Victoria has ignored warning after warning about gas supply shortages and now faces economy-destroying energy shortfalls that will mean higher energy prices, blackouts and manufacturers closing.

“The Victorian government has put roadblocks in the path of investment for over a decade. Australia’s gas industry stands ready to invest and remains committed to delivering reliable and affordable energy to homes and businesses.

“But the industry needs policy and regulatory certainty to have the confidence to invest.”

Property Council of Australia Victorian executive director Cath Evans welcomed the new direction but warned it must be accompanied by incentives that “enable property owners to deliver affordable energy-­efficient upgrades over time, including heating systems and cooktops”.

She said it was critical that details about “budgeted cost, implementation and intended benefit” were included in the state’s plans.

The roadmap to phase out gas was announced under former premier Daniel Andrews and aimed to wean Victorians off what Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio calls “fossil gas” and achieving net zero emissions by 2045.

The Herald Sun revealed the Allan government’s gas policy reversal on Monday. Picture: Herald Sun

Ms D’Ambrosio, who has been a fierce advocate for speeding up the transition to all electric, denied that she had been overruled by the Premier, saying she and Ms Allan were “absolutely aligned” on the new plan to exclude cooktops.

“That’s not the case at all,” she said.

Ms D’Ambrosio said gas cooktops were not an appliance that “moves the dial” and frees up gas supply.

“When you have a look at … how gas is used in the home, about three per cent of gas used in the home is used for gas for cooking,” she said.

“A very small, negligible amount.”

She said no decisions had been made regarding gas heating or hot water.

But signalled that it was unlikely the appliances would also be excluded.

“What will absolutely free up significant amounts of gas for Victorians is the appliances that heat up your hot water and heat up the space in your room,” she said.

Opposition spokesman David Davis welcomed the state’s announcement but slammed Labor for not acting sooner to shore up Victoria’s gas industry.

“Labor has been in power for a decade, and in all that time not one new conventional ­onshore gas exploration permit has been issued,” he said.

“Labor has comprehensively botched energy policy and it is Victorians who choose gas who are paying the price.”

Gas provides up to 5 per cent of Victoria’s annual electricity generation. It can be switched on during peak periods or when coal-fired power stations have outages.