Gas Ban Dan Full of Hot Air

He’s the gas ban man. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is certainly full of some type of gas. Hot air, perhaps? The picture you see onscreen is him back in April 2020 using gas to cook some potato, corn and tuna patties. But from 2024, the Premier has dictated that new houses in Victoria will not be allowed to be connected to gas as part of the government’s plan to reach net zero emissions in the state by 2045.

I’d just like to point out that I’m not pro-gas or anti-gas. I’m fairly neutral about gas. I’m not here to tout its benefits, or discuss its impact on the environment. I’m just here to pass comment on the new Victorian gas ban and whether it makes any sense whatsoever.

First of all, if somebody really wants to use gas in their home, they could still use it by buying one of those portable gas stoves (unless the government ban them as well). I know Chinese people here in Queensland who live in all-electric homes who do exactly this, because in China that’s what they’re used to.

Australia’s environmental department, the aptly named Department of Climate Change (yes, we have a Department of Climate Change – it was renamed last year by the Albanese government from the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment). Anyway, according to the newly established department, Victoria gas consumption accounts for 65% of household gas use across Australia. Victorians are by far the largest consumers of residential gas in the country.

So if you start banning gas, there has to be an alternative, right? Well, the only alternative is electricity (or wood fires, but that seems like a bit of a backwards step). Most electricity in Victoria is currently produced by burning coal, which is more polluting than burning gas. So if all those households who are forbidden from using gas are instead using coal-fired power, well that’s not really helping the environment, is it? So unless all these people are being transferred directly onto renewables, which I presume there are simply not enough of, this gas ban is looking a bit shaky.

If this gas ban goes through, what do you think will happen with all this unused gas? Do you think it will be kept underground keeping the environment safe? Of course not! It will be extracted and shipped overseas in fossil fuel-powered ships! Definitely! There’s no doubt about it!

In Victoria, you not being allowed to use a gas stove is not going to stop the gas being used somewhere else in the world. It simply isn’t. There is a huge demand for gas in Asia and Australia can provide that gas. If we didn’t sell that gas, Australia’s economy would crash.

Not to mention that other states in Australia don’t even agree with the gas ban. NSW Premier Chris Minns has ruled out banning gas stating that he doesn’t need another complication and that there’s already enough serious energy challenges. Queensland Energy Minister Mick de Brenni said banning gas is not on the agenda, and instead Queensland will be working with industry to reduce emissions from the gas network by blending in green hydrogen. The other states are essentially the same and do not agree to Dan’s gas ban.

So why is Premier Andrew’s so intent on taking away your gas stoves? Well, as I’ve shown you in this video, it’s not going to help the environment, so that can’t be it. It’s possible he thinks this is going to be his legacy. He’s going to be the first premier to outlaw evil gas, and I guess he expects the history books to look favourably upon him. Or he just thinks he can tell Victorians what to do. Do you know what I think? I think adult Victorians should be able to make their own decisions. If they want to use a gas burner, go for it! If the cost of gas goes up, then of course, more people will transition away from it. But is a ban necessary?

Should Victorians be banning gas? Or should they ban Dan? No seriously, I want to know.

TWITTER – DANIEL ANDREWS COOKING WITH GAS
https://twitter.com/DanielAndrewsMP/status/1248542493840257024

VICTORIA ANNOUNCES BAN ON GAS CONNECTIONS TO NEW HOMES FROM JANUARY 2024
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/28/victoria-announces-ban-on-gas-connections-to-new-homes-from-january-2024

AUSTRALIAN ENERGY STATISTICS BY STATE AND TERRITORY
https://www.energy.gov.au/publications/australian-energy-statistics-state-and-territory

AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MIX BY STATE AND TERRITORY 2020-21
https://www.energy.gov.au/data/australian-energy-mix-state-and-territory-2020-21

AUSTRALIA’S GAS EXPORT MARKETS
https://www.ga.gov.au/digital-publication/aecr2022/gas

NSW WON’T BAN GAS IN NEW HOMES
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/31/nsw-wont-ban-gas-in-new-homes-as-premier-declares-i-dont-need-another-complication

VICTORIA LEFT TO GO IT ALONE ON GAS BAN TO NEW HOMES
https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/victoria-left-to-go-it-alone-on-gas-ban-to-new-homes-20230731-p5dso0

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Allégro by Emmit Fenn