The Allan Labor Government is making energy efficient appliances cheaper for Victorian families and cracking down on energy safety breaches to keep Victorian homes, businesses and workers safe.
Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D'Ambrosio today announced the Energy and Land Legislation Amendment (Energy Safety) Bill 2025 has passed the Victorian Parliament.
The Energy and Land Legislation Amendment (Energy Safety) Bill 2025 will make sure the independent regulator Energy Safe Victoria (ESV) has the powers to keep Victorians safe as our energy system changes.
The Bill will amend the Electricity Safety Act, Gas Safety Act and Pipelines Act to introduce a new entry power for Energy Safe officers will be able to enter premises, with a Magistrate-issued warrant. This will mean officers can better investigate reports that pose a risk to public safety.
The Bill will also expand ESV and the courts enforcement powers, including powers to stop unsafe work and to suspend an electrical contractor registration or electrical worker licence where it is in the public interest to do so.
The Bill will also increase maximum penalties for offences like knowingly installing unsafe electrical equipment that could cause injury, death or significant property damage and knowingly making unsafe modifications to a gas appliance which could expose people to the risk of illness or death by carbon monoxide poisoning to $48,000 for an individual and $240,000 for a company.
As we move towards 95 percent renewable energy by 2035 we need to make sure Victoria's electricity and gas network safety regulations are keeping up with our energy system - that's why we invested $7 million in Victorian Budget 2023/24 to undertake the Energy Safety Review.
The Energy Safety Review consultation is now open for public and stakeholder feedback - it focuses on how we manage new and emerging safety risks as solar, batteries and other technologies become more common.
The Review covers all energy products and systems that generate, store, transmit or distribute energy, and is focused on preventing harm events that can cause death, injury or property damage.
To have your say on the Energy Safety Review visit, engage.vic.gov.au/energy-safety-review.
This amendment will also bring Victoria in line with other states and remove the requirement for the Essential Services Commission (ESC) to set a minimum feed-in tariff from July 1, 2025.
As stated by Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D'Ambrosio
"We're giving our energy safety regulator more powers to investigate and crack down on safety risks and we've increased penalties for those found doing the wrong thing."
"Safety of Victorians is our first priority - that's why we're asking for feedback from Victorians and industry on how we can further strengthen our energy safety regulations to make sure they account for new technologies."
