The Residential Tenancies and Residential Tenancies (Rooming House Standards) Amendment (Minimum Energy Efficiency and Safety Standards) Regulations 2024 notifications were tabled in parliament on Wednesday the 27 November. These regulations layer new rules for energy standards in rooming houses and minimum standards for quartered internal window coverings in residential tenancies.
The newly gazetted regulations have omitted bans on new gas appliances that were present in the draft regulations.
This is a temporary reprieve, with the government saying that these will be delayed until April, meaning the Allan Labor Government's war on gas continues.
The Minister for Energy and Resources, Lily D'Ambrosio, has previously declared war on 'fossil gas', proposing tough bans that strip the right from residential rental property owners to replace gas appliances. The Labor government had also pushed for similar rules and regulations for all households, to ban replacement gas appliances in Victoria.
In a recent bill, the state government grabbed new powers to regulate any reticulated gas connection in Victoria, including new builds, refurbishments, and replacement.
With a federal election early next year, Labor has swept their dirty material under the carpet to save federal seats in Victoria.
Shadow Minister for Energy, Affordability and Security, David Davis, said: "The Allan Labor Government's war on gas has conveniently been paused until April 2025, just in time for a Federal Election, but will clearly proceed afterwards, with regulations likely to hit Victorian households to ban gas cookers, gas hot water services and gas heaters.
"Victorians deserve to be able to choose their own energy source. They should not be hoodwinked by Labor into thinking they that Premier Allan has abandoned her draconian plan to ban gas replacement appliances for all households.
"Why has the gas ban been temporarily cut out of regulations, despite the government saying it is pushing ahead? Why has the Allan Labor Government taken extraordinary new powers to regulate gas, if it did not intend to use them?"
