Today Greens Member for Brindabella, Laura Nuttall, will introduce a motion to the ACT Legislative Assembly which calls on the Labor Party commit to a plan to phase-out wood heaters with full publication of said plan by July of next year.
"There are huge community health issues stemming from wood fire smoke and the government knows this but right now has no tangible plan to address it," said Miss Nuttall.
"The Greens secured a phase out date of 2045 when in government, but now Labor is doing nothing to work with the community and progress the issue.
"For those of us in valleys like Tuggeranong and Weston Creek, the smoke from wood heaters is a real problem this time of the year.
"There is no safe level of exposure to the pollution released by wood heaters, and it's all the more dangerous for the 65,000 Canberrans with asthma or other respiratory issues.
"But right now you can still buy a new wood heater, with no date set for a ban on new installations. We don't even know how many existing wood heaters we have in the ACT.
"It is very clear that this is an issue that requires broad community consultation to draw a clear pathway forward. We need a clear plan on how the phase out will happen that doesn't kick the can down the road any longer.
"If the government actually wants do the right thing and phase out wood heaters, they need to begin the hard work that is needed to get it done now."
As stated by Clean Air Canberra:
"The 2023 wood heater report by the ACT Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment laid bare the science: wood smoke not only harms those who use these heaters but also endangers neighbours forced to breathe in the pollution.
"Up to 63 Canberrans die prematurely each year from exposure to wood heater smoke. If 63 people were killed every year on Canberra's roads, there would be immediate public outrage.
"Just as smoking tobacco has been banned from offices, restaurants, and public spaces, it's time we recognised that wood heater smoke has no place in our suburbs.
"The right to breathe clean air in one's own home and surroundings must take precedence over outdated heating habits."
Key calls in the motion to be moved by Ms Nuttall on Thursday 4 September 2025 include:
- Starting community consultation on a plan to phase out wood heaters by 1 March 2025.
- Publishing the final phase-out plan by 1 July 2026.
- Creating a register of wood heaters to track the scale of the transition.
- Investigating the health costs caused by wood heater smoke.
- Exploring ways for the Environmental Protection Authority to better assess the environmental impacts of wood heater smoke.
Releasing the independent air quality study that has so far been withheld.
