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Gas phase-out lauded as ‘the right choice for health’
The Victorian Government has said gas connections will be banned in new homes from next year, with GPs endorsing the move.
Gas connections are being phased out in new homes in Victoria from next year.
A decision by the Victorian Government to end the use of gas in new homes and public buildings has been welcomed by GPs.
In an announcement on Friday, the state’s Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio said that from 1 January 2024 all planning permits for new homes and residential subdivisions will allow for electric network connections only.
The State Government also said that new public buildings not yet at the design stage will be all-electric, including schools, hospitals and police stations.
RACGP Victoria Deputy Chair Dr Aadhil Aziz said the move is a positive development. It follows the state faculty’s previous endorsement of a call to stop all new gas connections.
‘As GPs, we help our patients to be healthy at all stages of their lives,’ he said.
‘Gas stoves expose people to respiratory irritants which leads to a multitude of respiratory conditions, and research indicates this includes triggering asthma in children. Phasing out gas in our homes is the right choice for our health and the climate.
‘As the old saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” – and that’s true in both health and climate.
‘This announcement shows the Government is serious about addressing both climate change and health and is listening to medical professionals.’
As previously reported in newsGP, research indicates a link between indoor air pollution from gas cooking stoves and asthma, particularly in children.
According to the Government, residential gas use in Victoria is the highest in the country, with four in five homes connected. It estimates gas use in homes makes up around 17% of the state’s emissions.
In 2022, changes meant that new home builders no longer had to install gas connections.
RACGP Victoria was also among 30 signatories on a letter sent by the health organisation Healthy Futures to Minister D’Ambrosio in May calling for gas connections to be halted.
Both Dr Aziz and the state faculty’s Co-Deputy Chair Dr Bindiya Sethi later met with the Minister to reiterate their stance.
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