Today in Parliament, the NSW Labor government joined the Coalition in voting down our Greens motion calling for the most modest commitment to ban gas connections in new builds and set energy efficiency standards for rentals. Labor's inaction is a shameful disregard for public health, our burning planet and energy consumers who are already bearing the brunt.

Wednesday 6 August 2025

Abigail moved: 

(1) That this House notes that:

(a) in June 2025, the Victorian Labor Government announced electrification and energy efficiency reforms, including:

(i) a mandate for all new residential homes, most commercial buildings and government buildings including hospitals and schools to be all-electric from 1 January 2027;

(ii) requirements for existing gas hot water systems in residential buildings to be replaced with electric appliances at end-of-life; and

(iii) setting minimum energy efficiency standards for rental properties and public housing, including a ban on replacement gas heaters or hot water systems.

(b) in June 2025, the City of Sydney Council became the latest New South Wales council to mandate electrification in new residential developments from 1 January 2026, a move unanimously supported by Labor, Liberal, Independent and Greens councillors and backed by the Property Council of Australia, the Owners Corporation Network of Australia and Asthma Australia;

(c) other councils that have implemented electrification mandates include the City of Canada Bay, City of Canterbury‑Bankstown, Hornsby Shire Council, Lane Cove Council, City of Newcastle, Waverley Council and City of Parramatta, and councils in the process of exploring or developing electrification changes include North Sydney Council, Inner West Council, Blue Mountains City Council, City of Ryde and Wagga Wagga City Council; and

(d) according to the 2024 Annual Report Net Zero Commission:

(i) New South Wales is not on track to meet emission reduction targets, and the built environment sector is the worst performer, having nearly doubled greenhouse gas emissions between 2005 and 2022 while all other sectors have reduced theirs; and

(ii) compared to other jurisdictions "the New South Wales Government currently has neither regulations nor targets to drive building electrification. Unlike Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales has not placed restrictions on gas connections to new homes or developments".

(2) That this House further notes analysis conducted by the Energy Efficiency Council which shows just how much gas can be freed up through efficiency and electrification, which will directly drive down gas prices and supply shortfalls for industries in difficult to abate sectors and who are struggling with their power bills.

(3) That this House congratulates the Victorian Government, the Australian Capital Territory Government and various New South Wales councils for taking necessary action to transition households and businesses from gas and electrify everything.

(4) That this House calls on the Government to follow the lead of the Victorian Labor Government and Australian Capital Territory Government, as well as community leaders in councils across New South Wales, to ban new gas connections for residential and commercial developments and require higher standards of energy efficiency for rentals, to protect health and climate.

After moving her motion, Abigail said:

Gas is a polluting fossil fuel, and one of the leading causes of the climate crisis. Every day that we continue to extract, process and burn gas, we are overheating our planet and driving more frequent and intense catastrophic climate disasters. Study after study and common sense have proven that electrifying all new homes in New South Wales is one of the most effective ways to cut emissions. We can do this by getting off gas and getting more renewables online, like wind and solar, through faster and fairer deployment of large‑scale projects.

In its 2024 annual report, the Net Zero Commission highlighted New South Wales' lack of progress in pursuing ambitious electrification policies compared to other jurisdictions like the European Union, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory. The Net Zero Commission noted that the New South Wales Government currently has neither regulations nor targets to drive building electrification and has not placed restrictions on gas connections to new homes or developments. Instead, the New South Wales Government's current policy initiatives introduced in 2022 merely encourage but not mandate large new buildings to be all‑electric, along with some subsidies through programs like the Energy Savings Scheme. As the world electrifies everything, New South Wales households stuck on gas will be locked into increasingly expensive energy bills, and more and more people will be forced into energy poverty. Low‑income households, regional households and renters will inevitably bear the brunt if we do not stop building new gas connections and start helping households make the switch.

We need to invest in the rollout of household energy efficiency upgrades that prioritise difficult to electrify households, so that no‑one is left behind in the process. A just and equitable energy transition means making sure no‑one is left behind and no‑one bears the brunt of irresponsible government inaction. More and more councils are taking charge and leveraging their powers through the planning system to electrify communities with gas‑free, all‑electric new homes and businesses. The City of Sydney council recently became the latest New South Wales council to mandate electrification in new residential developments from 1 January 2026—a move led by Greens councillors. This was unanimously supported by Labor, Liberal, Independent and Greens councillors, and has since been publicly backed and commended by the Property Council of Australia, the Owners Corporation Network of Australia Ltd, Asthma Australia and other peak bodies for health, housing and environmental matters. The national policy director for the Property Council of Australia, Frankie Muskovic, said of the changes:

This is a clear step towards cleaner, cheaper, all‑electric buildings and it's what the future demands – we support it.

The City of Sydney is showing leadership here, giving developers clarity and sending the right signal to the market. Families want homes that are cheaper to run and the shift away from gas will help deliver that.

Every new building built with gas today is one that will need to be upgraded later at greater cost, so targeting new buildings first, where the change is easier and cost effective to make is a no-brainer.

Meanwhile, the Australian Capital Territory is leading the nation in decarbonising and fast‑tracking clean energy generation thanks to the foundations laid by the former Labor‑Greens Government. Since 2020, the ACT has been 100 per cent powered by renewables, which has given Canberrans some of the lowest energy bills in the country. In Victoria, the Labor Allan Government unveiled a suite of home electrification and energy efficiency reforms last month, which build on the Victorian Government's Gas Substitution Roadmap. Under those changes, all new residential homes, most commercial buildings and government buildings, including hospitals and schools, will be required to be all‑electric from 1 January 2027. Households will also be required to replace existing gas hot water systems with electric appliances at the end of their life, and renters will benefit from minimum energy efficiency standards for rental properties and public housing.

While these changes are not perfect, and our Victorian Greens colleagues have called for the Allan Government to take even more ambitious leaps to electrify the State and accelerate energy efficiency upgrades for vulnerable households, they are a necessary step forward that should be commended. The Victorian Government's plan has been analysed by the Energy Efficiency Council. It found that electrification of Victoria's buildings could free up an average of 80 petajoules a year through to 2035 to support industries impacted by high prices and gas supply shortfalls. Electrification will drive down not just household energy prices but the energy prices of industry and business as well. Claims of gas shortfalls fall flat in the face of this fact. We do not need to dig or drill more gas; we need to be smart with the way we use it, with electrification and efficiency improvements delivering climate and economic benefits across society from households to industry.

But it is not just climate and financial benefits that are achieved by getting off gas. There is increasing evidence that pollution from gas stoves is responsible for one in eight, or 12.3 per cent, of current childhood asthma cases. A child living with gas cooking in their home faces a similar risk of asthma to a child living with household cigarette smoke. We must start building healthier and more energy‑efficient buildings. Doing so will fast‑track our transition, keep us moving with the times and ensure that new builds meet future energy standards. Gas has no place in our future clean, green energy mix. It is time for the Government to take charge of the transition and set a clear pathway towards electrifying everything, building by building and suburb by suburb.

The Minister for Climate Change, Energy and Environment then spoke, followed by other Labor members and the Coalition. Labor joined the Coalition in voting down our motion, which lost 6 votes to 33. 

Read the full transcript in Hansard, to see how the NSW Labor government responded (here and here at these two links).