Domestic burning of gas for heating, hot water and cooking significantly contributes to Australia’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To reach net-zero carbon and methane emissions, gas must be rapidly phased out as an energy source and energy supply to buildings must become 100% electric from renewable sources. Victoria and ACT are showing leadership on this issue with state-wide bans on gas connections in new building developments. But federal intervention is required to phase out gas more rapidly on a national scale.

Background/Context:

More than half of Australian households currently use mains gas for cooking, hot water and heating, but demand is declining due to milder winter temperatures, increasing prices, and Australians seeking more climate-friendly energy options. However, meaningful government action to support this transition is limited and inconsistent across the country.  

In the ACT, gas has been banned in new residential, commercial and community buildings since late 2023. In Victoria, gas has been banned in new homes since January 2024. In NSW, many LGAs including the City of Sydney, have introduced partial or total gas bans in new homes and business developments, but the premier refuses to introduce statewide legislation. All other states remain committed to harmful gas powering our homes.

At federal level, the Future Gas Strategy maps how the Australian government will use gas to support the transition to net zero, and is premised on the expansion of gas exploration and extraction until 2050. However, the need for new gas fields to facilitate Australia’s energy transition is a false narrative as more than three-quarters of our gas is exported, and the strategy ignores the simple fact that fossil fuel resources must stay in the ground if we are to avoid a climate catastrophe.

Why is this important?

• Domestic gas contributes to climate change. It is a hydrocarbon fossil fuel: burning and producing gas drives climate change, contributing to catastrophic fires, floods, heat waves and extreme weather globally. Emissions from the extraction, processing and export of gas are the main driver behind Australia’s official emissions staying so high. The process of extracting and burning gas for fuel causes methane emissions, a greenhouse gas up to 80 times more harmful than carbon dioxide. Ultimately, gas is incompatible with a net-zero future.
• It is bad for our health. Even when they are not turned on, gas stoves can leak toxic chemicals—including methane, and nitrous oxides—into the air. This is linked to respiratory issues like asthma, especially in children, the elderly and other vulnerable people.
• Gas is more expensive than electric alternatives, and switching to electric appliances can save households upwards of $4000 per year. Our gas market is also plagued with challenges: manufactured shortages due to significant exports drive household prices up, and new gas projects won’t fix the problem.
• Existing buildings need to be considered as well as new builds. The cost of retrofitting existing residences to transition from gas to electric can be prohibitive for many Australians, and the government needs to support households that want to upgrade appliances and wiring. Some states, like the ACT, already offer financing schemes to support household retrofitting, but this option should be available to all Australians.

Who to contact:

• Your local State and Federal MP (check on this website if you’re unsure who that is)
• Key Federal Labor (addresses in link) including Resources Minister Madeleine King, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese; Treasurer Jim Chalmers; Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen; Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell; Transport Minister Catherine King 
• Federal Senate Crossbenchers (addresses in link) including Greens, David Pocock (ACT independent), Jacquie Lambie and Tammy Tyrell (JLN) who hold the balance of power in the Senate
• In NSW: In the absence of state-wide bans, LGAs in NSW have the power to introduce gas-free requirements in their local planning policies—the only state in Australia where this is possible. Consider contacting your local council to encourage their leadership on the phase-out of domestic gas.

Extra questions to ask:

• Why is the government supporting further gas extraction projects in Australia at a time when greenhouse gas emissions must be urgently reduced ?

Resources:

• Email example below and General email template here to write your own from scratch

Email example:

If you need some help getting started with your email, here is an example. 

Please don’t copy it exactly - personalise it and tailor it to the MP you are writing to. 

In addition, when writing to a Minister or Shadow Minister, start by saying that you’re writing to them in their role as Minister for xxxx, otherwise they will probably just forward your email to your local MP.

[MP name]

[Member for …. or  Minister for ….]

Dear …

[personal statement - who you are and why you care]

As somebody who is aware of the severity of the climate crisis, I support Australia’s pursuit of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

The use of gas in Australian buildings is a significant contributor to our current greenhouse gas emissions.  

It makes no sense that new developments are still allowed to install gas as an energy source. Gas is a dangerous and polluting fossil fuel that contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, including harmful methane emissions.  

Buildings that are being constructed now will be in use for decades to come. Connecting gas to new developments is therefore inconsistent with the urgent need to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, as underlined by the most recent report from the IPCC.

All-electric buildings are easily achievable with readily available domestic appliances, such as reverse cycle heating and cooling, heat pumps for hot water, and electric induction cooktops.  

Will you support the introduction of a ban on gas connection to all new developments?

Will you support strong government-led action to retrofit existing buildings to become all-electric?

What will you do to ensure that gas use within our buildings is rapidly phased out?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Your Name

Address

Phone Number

(need to be included if you want a response)

How do we know climate change is caused by humans?

We know climate change is caused by humans because we have decades of scientific research and data from multiple disciplines - including atmospheric science, geology, and climate modelling - to evidence this. Measurements show that greenhouse gas concentrations, especially carbon dioxide, have sharply increased since the Industrial Revolution, directly correlating with human activities such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation. These changes are happening far more rapidly than any natural climate variation, at a rate never before seen in Earth’s history. Today, over 99% of scientists agree that human activities are the primary cause of global climate change.