Thursday, 18 April 2024

Energy policy

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (17:01): (821) President, my matter is for the Minister for Energy and Resources, but before I get to that I want to thank you and the parliamentary staff for the work that has been done on this amazing sitting day – an incredible effort by staff. I also want to thank the mayor and the shire for their support and the huge and warm welcome we have had from everyone in the area. It has been a great day.

My adjournment is for the Minister for Energy and Resources, and it concerns the sneaky gazettal today of the ban on gas appliance rebates. Despite about 60 per cent of gas appliances being manufactured in Australia and less than 5 per cent of electrical appliances being manufactured in Australia, we now have a ban that has been gazetted today. This will cut consumer choice. It will cut down the options and it will hit poorer people hardest. Those that would previously have received a rebate to assist them buy a new cooker or a new heater will not get those appliance rebates any more. This is a ban that hits the poorest and hits people in regional Victoria.

A member interjected.

David DAVIS: That is exactly right, those in regional cities will be hit hardest by a lot of this. This has been done without proper consultation with the industry. I say higher greenhouse emissions will result as there will be some shift away from gas to electricity that is largely still in Victoria generated by coal generation in the Latrobe Valley. Higher emissions will be generated in the immediate term by this particular change, so what I am seeking from the minister is that she not only publish the modelling of the greenhouse gas emissions – because I have no doubt that that will show higher emissions – but most importantly that she review this decision urgently, that she consult with the gas industry, including the manufacturing industry, and that she reverse the ban on gas.