The ACT Government has published a Listening Report and Community and Stakeholder Engagement Report outlining what we heard during community consultation on a regulation to prevent new fossil fuel gas network connections.

The regulation is an important step in readying our city for an all-electric future and will prevent future transition challenges as we look to phase out fossil fuel gas by 2045.

The consultation was held over a six-week period in March-April 2023 and focused on the transition to the new regulation, how it will be implemented and where exemptions might apply.

Across the consultation period we received 313 survey responses, 23 written submissions, had 48 webinar participants, and 37 workshop participants.

Some high-level key findings from the consultation included:

• In general, there was strong support or positive sentiment about the introduction of a regulation to prevent new fossil fuel gas connections.
• Key benefits of the regulation mentioned by the community include emissions reduction, reduced energy costs for consumers, improved air quality, and safer homes.
• Key concerns about the regulation related to things like capacity and supply for the electricity network, impact on existing gas connections, and affordability and equity in the community.
• There were mixed views on how land or premises that are subject to the regulation should be identified (e.g. like using planning zones).
• Most people believed that the regulation should apply to both residential and commercial zones (if planning zones were to be used to identify land or premises).
• There was strong support for the regulation to apply to both new developments and in-fill developments, including knock-down rebuilds and renovations where a gas connection is abolished.
• Most people supported an exemption process to allow for instances where no viable electric alternative is available.
• There was strong support across all engagement activities for the proposed requirement for the gas distributor to report new connection information to the ACT Government.
• Across all engagement activities, there was strong support for a regulation commencement date of November 2023.
• Key transition impacts raised included impacts on workforce and supply chain issues, the handling of builds that already have development approval, and the impact on individual rights to choose energy supply.

Community preferences received as part of the consultation are currently being considered to help draft the regulation to prevent new gas connections. It is anticipated that the regulation is implemented in November 2023 (or as soon as practical thereafter).

While the details of the regulation are still being developed, it is important that people who are working on design and build projects or looking to purchase a property off the plan should consider designing or building all electric now.

To read Listening Report and Community and Stakeholder Engagement Report and find out more about the consultation, visit https://yoursayconversations.act.gov.au/pathway-to-electrification