The Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association of Australia (GAMAA) today expressed its deep disappointment at the Victorian Government's ramming through of the Building Legislation Amendment 2024 to give the energy minister the power to ban the installation of new or replacement gas appliances in the existing residential and commercial sectors.
"Despite assuring Victorians the government would not touch their gas cooktops, less than three days later they introduced laws that would give them the power to do exactly that," said GAMAA president Ross Jamieson.
"And now they have pushed it through Parliament, voting down an amendment that would exclude gas cooktops from the scope of any future bans."
"This has all been done before the work has been completed on a Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) or consultation with the public and industry.
"It's very clear that the government has made its mind up to go after people's gas appliances and that you cannot trust verbal assurances from this government."
Mr Jamieson said that previous claims the amendments were needed to allow a RIS to be undertaken were clearly not true as work on the RIS is already underway.
"If this is genuinely open process then the government should have waited for the RIS process to be completed before rushing through new laws." he said.
"We will also be looking to see how the government improves on its previous RIS for rental properties which was so full of factual and methodological errors so as to be virtually worthless as a decision-making tool."
Independent research undertaken by Frontier Economics estimated that forcing conversion of ducted gas heating and hot water in homes could see extra costs of up $27,000 leading to an increase in rents for tenants of up to $65 a week.
"Given the level of criticism the last RIS received from a wide range of industry groups we were expecting to see consultation in the preparation of this next RIS. So far, this has not happened," he added.
"Broad bans would have a devasting impact on jobs and industry by driving up gas prices and shifting companies and services interstate and overseas. Our appliance manufacturers and gas suppliers are a critical part of the clean energy transition so it's important that we do not destroy this industry and lose those skills."
More than 60 per cent of gas appliances sold in Australia are made in Australia, with GAMAA members employing around 4000 people, many in regional centres.
