Gas backed for Victorian energy transition

The poll findings come despite the Andrews government’s plans to ‘put gas on the backburner’ with its gas substitution road map.

Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen with Victorian Energy Minster Lily D'Ambrosio. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

More than 60 per cent of Victorians believe gas has an important role to play in Australia’s transition to net-zero carbon dioxide emissions, according to a poll of more than 3000 people.

The Redbridge poll, commissioned by the Australian Pipelines and Gas Association, found 22.2 per cent of Victorians believed natural gas was “not important” in the move to renewables, and barely a quarter — 25.9 per cent — said they did not support gas projects.

This is despite the Victorian Minister for Climate Action, Energy and Resources and the State Electricity Commission, Lily D’Ambrosio, saying it was “time to put gas on the backburner” when she unveiled the Andrews government’s gas substitution road map last year.

Conducted on March 18-27, the study had a sample size of 3032 people and was taken across inner-city and outer suburban Melbourne, as well as in regions around Bendigo, Ballarat, and Wodonga. Results were weighted by gender and age to reflect local population proportions.

Participants were asked how important they thought the role of natural gas was in Australia’s transition to renewable energy, and were told that Anthony Albanese recently said it had a “key role to play” and would “help smooth the shift to renew­ables”.

While 40.1 per cent said the role of gas was very important and 23.7 per cent said it was somewhat important, 22.2 per cent said it was not important. The remaining 14 per cent were undecided.

The 18- to 24-year-olds were more likely than older counterparts to believe in the importance of gas, with 48 per cent regarding it as very important compared with 38 per cent of 25- to 34-year-olds and 39 per cent of 35- to 50-year-olds.

More than half, 53.6 per cent, said they would support new gas projects if they assisted the expansion of renewable energy; 25.9 per cent said they would not, and 20.6 per cent were unsure.

More Victorians opposed than supported the complete replacement in homes and business of gas with electricity, with 46.5 per cent against, 36.6 per cent in favour and 16.9 per cent unsure.

Cost of living emerged as by far the most important issue to those surveyed, with 36.6 per cent nominating it as the most important issue for the Victorian government, followed by 15.4 per cent who nominated health, 13.5 per cent housing, 10.3 per cent other, 9.4 per cent climate, 8.3 per cent infrastructure and 6.4 per cent education.

Redbridge research director Simon Welsh said cost of living was “definitely” playing into ­people’s views on climate change.

“You’ve got 36.6 per cent sitting on that cost-of-living concern, but another 13.5 per cent sitting on housing as well, so you’re talking about half of ­people where concern about making ends meet is their primary motivation,” Mr Welsh said.

“What we’ve seen qualitatively in focus groups is an understanding that energy demand is increasing and we need to continue to make sure we meet that demand, and if we don’t, one of the many bad outcomes from that will be prices rising.

“There’s a view that it shouldn’t be ‘renewables or coal and gas’ – that it actually needs to be a genuine transition where we’re not instantly switching one for the other, and consistently gas is seen as a more favourable option than coal.”

Ms D’Ambrosio’s office did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.

Asked about the Victorian government’s efforts to increase the supply of renewable energy, 31 per cent of those polled said things were progressing too slowly, 19.8 per cent said they were going at about the right pace, 28.5 per cent said they were moving too quickly and 20.7 per cent were unsure.

Asked about the viability of transitioning homes from natural gas to solar electric 30.7 per cent said it was definitely not viable, 18.8 per cent that it was probably not viable, 21.2 per cent that they were uncertain, while 12.9 per cent saw it as probably viable and 16.3 per cent as definitely viable.

A majority, 52 per cent, said they would not be prepared to pay any premium on their gas bill to use renewable gas at home.