A quick adjournment is a good adjournment. My adjournment matter is directed to the Minister for Energy and Resources. The action I seek is for the minister to join me in the Glen Waverley district to meet with some of my constituents who have benefited firsthand from the Victorian energy upgrades program.
The Allan Labor government is leading the charge in Australia’s race to net zero emissions. We have brought forward our net zero target by five years, and by 2035 up to 95 per cent Victoria’s energy will be sourced from renewables. We are not on this journey just because is the right thing to do, though; we are investing in climate action because it presents massive economic opportunities and benefits for our state, including families in my local community. The Allan Labor government is driving down energy bills with our Solar Homes program, providing rebates and interest-free loans to cover the cost of solar panel and battery installation. More than 350,000 Victorians have already benefited, including thousands in the Glen Waverley electorate.
That is in addition to the Victorian energy upgrades program. The program is terrific and hails from the Brumby era, with 2 million Victorian households benefiting from appliance upgrades since the program started. Not only is it reducing reliance on fossil fuels and supercharging our renewables transition, it is driving down family energy bills, which we have seen just this week from the Essential Services Commission.
Our renewables transition, including the Victorian energy upgrades program, is great news for families looking for cost-of-living relief, and I look forward to the minister joining me.
I appreciate your support in accelerating the electrification of your constituents’ homes and businesses through the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program. The work undertaken both saves energy consumers’ money and reduces their emissions.
Ministers Response:
The VEU program is Victoria’s flagship energy savings and emissions reduction program. Since it commenced in 2009, more than two million households and almost 130,000 businesses across Victoria have saved on their energy bills thanks to the highly successful program. In the Glen Waverley postcode alone, there have been over 35,000 upgrades over the past five years with thousands more across other areas of the Glen Waverley electorate.
The VEU program emissions reduction targets for 2022 to 2025 are delivering significant benefits to the energy system, reducing energy prices for consumers and helping Victoria achieve its climate goals by locking in 28 million tonnes of emissions savings.
Since May 2023, the VEU program has provided discounts to replace an existing gas heater with a reverse cycle air conditioner or replace an existing gas hot water system with a heat pump water heater. This year, the VEU program will be expanded to also include rebates for upgrades to efficient electric cooktops, enabling all Victorians to access incentives to fully electrify their homes.
We know that everyday families and energy consumers are making decisions about when to replace hot water and space heating appliances that have reached their end of life, or to invest in new appliances to try to lower their cost of living and improve their comfort. The Victorian Energy Upgrades program can help them make this choice and ensures ongoing bills savings for years to come.
Hon Lily D’Ambrosio MP
Minister for Climate Action
Minister for Energy and Resources
Minister for the State Electricity Commission
