Victorian climate policy continuity

Consistent climate policy benefits us all!

In Victoria we’ve made signficant progress towards reducing our emissions and achieving greater energy security.

Jess Wilson MP became the new leader of the Victorian Opposition in November 2025, and the Opposition’s stated policy priorities do not include climate action. The Opposition has also indicated they would reverse or oppose some of the Victorian government’s key climate action measures.

Will you ask Jess Wilson MP, the Member for Kew, to be a climate leader and support Victoria’s progress towards a clean energy future?

 

To: Jess Wilson MP, the Leader of the Victorian Opposition and the Member for Kew

 

I ask you to use your leadership position to be a climate champion.

 

Consistent climate policy will result in certainty for investors, lower energy costs for Victorian households and businesses, and better climate outcomes for all Victorians.

 

I ask that as Leader of the Opposition you encourage the Victorian Liberal and National Parties to:

1. Support and maintain ​Victoria’s legislated nation-leading climate targets

2. ​Support and maintain ​Victoria’s ban on native forest logging

3. ​Support and maintain ​Victoria’s steps toward phasing out gas use in Victoria’s homes and businesses, including ​financial incentives to adopt solar and switch to electric appliances

4. Develop policies that plan for an orderly transition away from fossil fuel use in Victoria, including an end to new fossil fuel projects.

 

Want to know more? Read on here

 

Climate action supports households and families

Climate change is a scientific, engineering and economic challenge that should be addressed with parliamentary wide support.

  • Consistent climate and energy policy will provide certainty for clean energy investors and put downwards pressure on costs for business and households.
  • An orderly transition is the least cost pathway to energy security and a safer climate future for all Australians

Even though more can and should be done by our State government, Victoria is heading in the right direction.

 

Going All-Electric with Minister Lily D'Ambrosio video highlights

$1900 off your energy bills for going all-electric?

Minister Lily D’Ambrosio summarises government support for electrification and climate politicies here.

Families walking - emissions reduction to plan to care for our kids

Nation leading targets

Strong legislated emissions and renewable energy targets lead the way in Victoria

Minister D’Ambrosio explains Victorian climate energy policy

In a recent Lighter Footprints meeting, Minister D’Ambrosio outlined Victoria’s climate targets, Victoria’s pathway away from gas to electrification, the Gas Subsititution Roadmap and detailed specific steps for households and landlords.

Victoria's forests are critical carbon sinks and important for Melbourne's water

Native forest logging ban

Victoria’s native forests are some of the densest carbon stores on the planet

Native forests act as carbon sinks, drawing CO2 from the atmosphere. Forests are also among the most important ecosystems for both biodiversity and habitat.

  • In 2024 the Victorian Government banned native forest logging in public forests.
  • In 2025 the Victorian government created 3 new national parks thereby protecting more land from commercial logging.
  • Native forest protection has been vastly improved by the Victorian government but remains imperfect with significant concerns about clearfell logging by Forest Fire Management Victoria, ongoing salvage logging and the failure to declare the Great Forest National Park.

 

 

 

Moving past gas - electrification and comfortable homes

Supporting electrification

Subsidies are helping households save money by installing efficient electric appliances and rooftop solar

The Solar Homes program and Victorian Energy Upgrades program offer rebates and subsidies for electrification and energy efficiency upgrades.

Going electric lowers our energy bills

Electric appliances are three to four times more efficient and cost two to four times less to run.

Victoria is moving from fossil gas to affordable clean energy

From fossil gas to affordable clean energy

Victoria has a plan to reduce Victoria’s reliance on expensive and polluting fossil gas

The Victorian Gas Substitution Roadmap is an important framework in guiding Victoria towards zero emissions, and requires new homes and most new commercial buildings “to be built all-electric” from 1 Jan 2027.

We are building large scale renewables and supporting offshore wind and big battery builds. 

The Victorian government’s plan for future electricity generation and use rests on four pillars:

  1. Enabling the renewables big build, including large scale storage, with targets for offshore wind.
  2. Empowering households and businesses to lower energy bills through support for electrification and energy efficiency.
  3. Managing the transition away from fossil fuels, including communities in transition.
  4. Creating jobs, skills and supply chains.

Where does the Opposition stand on climate?

Current indicators are that the Victorian Opposition under Jess Wilson MP are leaning towards being climate laggards, not leaders.

Policy continuity is important.

Let’s let Jess Wilson know of our support for more clean energy and affordable electric homes.

Victorian Opposition Climate Policies link

David Strang, Convenor of the Energy Transition Group summarises Opposition climate policies here.

Opposition policy priorities

Climate and energy plans not a priority

Climate change response is not mentioned in the Liberal Party’s stated policy priorities

Liberal Victoria’s policy page frames cost of living relief through cutting State debt interest costs, cutting “waste” and lower taxes and does not mention reducing energy bills through solar self generation, energy efficiency or electrification.

The Liberal Party has no comprehensive climate or energy policy outlining its plans for Victoria’s energy future

David Strang, leader of the Energy Transition Group, details Opposition climate and energy policy

Gas cooking causes asthma and impacts childrens respiratory health RMI

Opposition to Gas Substitution Roadmap

The Opposition opposes key elements of the Victorian government’s Gas Substitution Roadmap

Under Jess Wilson, the Liberals are campaigning against Victoria’s electrification policies, particularly the shift to all-electric buildings.

Moving to all-electric buildings reduces energy bills and improves our health

  • Cooking with gas causes 12% of childhood asthma (DEA p.15) and results in a rise in indoor pollutants, impacting the respiratory, cardiac, neurological systems and the unborn.
  • Harvard Health: children living in households with gas stoves are 42% more likely to have asthma, gas stoves leak even when turned off, pollution includes benzene and toluene as well as NO2 and formaldehyde.
The Opposiiton is campaigning against the shift to all-electric homes

Blaming renewables rollout

“Ideological war”

The Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, David Davis, has previously accused the Government of waging an “ideological war” against gas in Victoria and blames Victoria’s energy prices on the renewables rollout.

Shadow Minister David Davis has described the Victorian government’s approach as “anti-gas”, resulting in a “hostile investment environment” because “of the ideological war being waged against gas in Victoria”.

Although domestic electricity prices are strongly linked to the rise in global gas export prices (no gas reservation policy in Eastern states until 2027), the Opposition consistently blames price rises on the renewables roll out, “the roll out of Labor’s big transmission wires will force the electricity bills of every Victorian family upwards”.

 

Logging destroys dense soil carbon storage - Prof David Lindenmayer

Opposing native forest logging ban

In 2024 the Opposition opposed the ban on native forest logging

The Victorian Opposition opposed the Victorian legislation which banned native forest logging in 2024. Their opposition was based on concerns about the impact on local communities including job losses and whether plantations could meet demand.

In 2025 the Opposition opposed protecting more native forests

The Opposition also opposed the 2025 legislation which established the 3 new national parks citing concerns about there being insufficient funding to manage the existing parks and the “locking up” of the land for recreational and other uses such as prospecting, beekeeping and collecting firewood.

We call on Jess Wilson to support and maintain the ban on native forest logging, contrary to the Opposition’s previous policy position.

Now is the time to tell Jess Wilson that her community wants strong climate action. 

Sign our petition to Jess Wilson MP above asking her to be a climate leader!

Further Information

Victorian Government pages 

Climate Targets

Victorian Gas Substitution Roadmap

Gas Exploration

  • The securing gas supply information page notes measures to reduce gas demand such as supporting the switch to energy efficient electric appliances, storage measures and also measures to increase supply such as “$2 billion in new investment in gas exploration, production and storage since September 2024.”

 

Using gas at home harms our health

Household gas increases indoor pollutants



 

Clean energy is the least cost option

CSIRO confirmed that renewable power with storage is the most affordable form of generation

  • CSIRO’s definitive GenCost 2024/25 report found “renewables remain the lowest-cost new-build electricity generation technology”.
  • The Climate Council: “Energy from wind and solar is on average half the price of energy from coal and gas.”

 

Lighter Footprints information

Comparing policy options – Lighter Footprints meeting

Going electric and energy efficiency

Energy

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