Hansard debates

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (17:34): I rise to speak on this bill, and I thank my colleague Mr Davis for his contribution, where he very largely and comprehensively outlined our position. As was noted, we have serious concerns about this bill and will be moving amendments. But there is one particular issue that I want to speak about that I am particularly fired up about, and it is making sure that people have choice in their energy sources.

The government has continued their reckless and ideological attack on gas in Victorian homes and will be ripping out gas stovetops from March 2027. They have already been blocking gas to new homes, which discriminates against people living in growth areas – largely migrant families. We know that there have been several news reports. The ABC noted that several ministers knew that this was a step too far and expressed concern, because what they know is what all Victorians know, particularly migrant families: those in established suburbs want choice and the options available to them, not more state-sanctioned discrimination against our multicultural communities and people that live in growth areas. I can tell you countless examples from local real estate agents where people have almost been able to sign their signature away on a sale until they realise that that particular home was built after the government changed the rules and is no longer allowing a gas connection to that home. They have then not signed, packed up and gone elsewhere. It is limiting choice for emerging communities and growing families in terms of their energy use. Those from South-East Asian communities are particularly animated by the government’s discrimination against people on the type of home they want to live in. That is what this government has done. They have now done this huge backflip and are now wanting to see an expansion of gas, despite the minister very immaturely describing gas as ‘fossil gas’ for a period of time. I note she has been vetoed from those kinds of terms these days. But this is the kind of state-sanctioned discrimination we are seeing against people that decide, that choose, to live in our growth areas.

We all saw the headlines that the government backflipped, supposedly, on banning gas in existing homes once a stovetop or a heater breaks down. They have not backflipped; they have only moved that date to March 2027. I want to send the message to all Victorians that the government did not backflip, which means from March 2027 if your stove breaks down, the government will be forcing you to rip that out and put in an electric stove, which means if you vote for the Labor Party in November, that is a vote to ban gas in existing homes. That is a vote for the Labor Party to rip your gas stovetop or your gas heater out of your kitchen or your garage forever. That is what the government wants to do. The media spinners in the Premier’s private office want to brief out that this is a backflip – that they have listened and ministers have acknowledged that this was an issue. That is not the case.

David Davis interjected.

Evan MULHOLLAND: We moved an amendment and they had a chance on that, and they still wanted the power to be able to do it. My community knows – and it is important to keep stating this, because we will be making people very aware of this in the lead-up to November – that a vote for the Labor Party is a vote to ban gas in existing homes. It is an absolute disgrace. It is denying people the choice that they deserve over their energy sources and what kind of energy sources they want to use.

We know that for many of our multicultural communities their number one preference is gas. I would say, though, a lot of people in the northern suburbs, particularly around Greenvale and Craigieburn, love a charcoal barbecue. But in the home, gas is the number one preferred energy source for our multicultural communities, particularly our Indian communities and Chinese communities. This government wants to say to a new Indian family moving into an area like Kalkallo – it already has said – ‘You can’t have gas.’ Now, if that Indian family in Kalkallo’s gas stovetop or heater breaks down, Jacinta Allan is going to dictate that they have to rip that out and replace that with an electric oven at massive cost to that family. After we have seen interest rate rises, after we have seen massive cost-of-living increases and in turn tax increases from this government hitting families the hardest, Jacinta Allan is wanting to come into your home and say you cannot replace your stove with another gas stovetop, and that is an absolute disgrace. It is discrimination against our multicultural communities, and the Liberals and Nationals will not stand for it. We will back our multicultural communities and back their choice of energy source. If they want a gas stovetop, they should be able to have a gas stovetop. This government has already banned that opportunity for my communities that want to buy a new house in our growth areas in places like Beveridge, in places like Wallan, in places like Wollert, in places like Craigieburn. They have already said to those families, ‘You are not to have gas.’

So you have got this two-pronged message. You have got the government saying, on one hand, ‘We want to expand gas exploration.’ Gas is now a good thing according to this government. You never know whether they are Arthur or Martha on that side of the house on gas. And then they want to, from March 2027, ban gas in existing homes. As I said, if you vote for the Labor Party or are considering voting for the Labor Party, consider that from March 2027 Lily D’Ambrosio and Jacinta Allan’s rule will kick in so that if your gas stovetop breaks you have to replace that with electric. You will be denied energy choices because of this government. Vote Labor to ban gas, or vote Liberals and Nationals to keep choice.