Victorians Can Keep Gas Stoves, But Net Zero Ban on New Installations Remain

Blue flames from a gas at a home in Arlington, Va., on May 3, 2023. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has reassured residents they can keep cooking on existing gas tops, but a ban on gas installations in new properties will remain.

“I am wanting to be really clear that Victorians can continue to keep cooking with gas on their existing gas stove, and if they need to replace it, they will be able to do so,” she told reporters on Sept. 9.

“We know that we need to do everything we can to support those households and businesses who can transition to all-electric to do so, because it maintains gas supply for that house.”

The policy is part of the government’s move towards net zero by 2045.

What’s the Deal with Gas in Victoria?

Victoria’s ban on gas connections in new properties is set to remain, but before Sept. 9, what happened to existing connections was up in the air.

The 2023 gas substitution roadmap (pdf) flagged “investigating options to progressively electrify new and existing residential and most commercial buildings.”

The Victorian government claims modern induction cooking is “efficient, convenient and safe” and a healthier choice compared to traditional gas stovetops.

“Recent studies have shown potential health risks associated with gas cooking,” the government claimed.

The Response

The free market think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs, was critical of the Victorian government for still limiting new gas connections.

“Despite a partial backdown by the Victorian government on gas cookers, banning the use of gas in new homes is a direct attack on Victorians who will be forced to choose between whether they heat or eat,” the IPA said in a statement.

Meanwhile, from the left, the Victorian Greens claimed gas cooktops were terrible for the “climate” and contributed to “complex health issues” including childhood asthma.

Victorian Greens leader Ellen Sandell said the premier was “denying climate science” and blowing up any ambition the government had of addressing the “climate crisis.”

While the Liberal opposition Shadow Minister for Climate Change James Newbury said the Labor government was frantically “removing policy barnacles” to stop losing votes.

“But Labor’s problem is structural, the ship is rotten and the Captain is lost at sea. Jacinta Allan’s frantic decisions only reinforce one thing—the premier stands for nothing,” he said.

No Significant Risk of Asthma: Study

A review on the health implications of gas stove use in the Lancet Medical Journal in May found “no significant increase in risk of wheeze for gas compared with electricity.”

“We confirmed that that risk of asthma from gas use was potentially exaggerated in studies with no or limited adjustment for confounders versus those with adjustment for at least one key confounder,” the authors (pdf) stated.

The report did say there was a slight increase in risk of acute lower respiratory infections and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from gas use, but noted this was not “statistically significant.”

The study also observed a “significant decrease” in the risk of bronchitis.