In short
Clean-air advocates want the Victorian government to phase out and better monitor pollution caused by wood heaters.
asserted
government → want → heaters
Victoria has announced no new direct measures to move away from wood heaters, despite an inquiry in 2021.
What's next?
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What → announce → 2021
The government handed down its response to the inquiry in June, four years and seven months after the inquiry started.
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inquiry → hand → June
Clean-air advocates say the Victorian government is failing to address pollution from wood heaters as its gas substitute policy returns to the spotlight ahead of the November state election.
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policy → say → election
Arabella Daniel, who has asthma, has monitored air quality at her rental property in Melbourne's south-east for six years, recording significant air pollution both inside and out.
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who → have → pollution
I cannot open my windows and doors for fresh air for many months of the year," she said.
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she → open → year
Ms Daniel said smoke from nearby chimneys, pizza ovens, and fire pits can enter her home and impact her throat, so she has installed air purifiers around her 103-year-old home to help monitor and mitigate the impact
She said she felt hopeful when she presented her experiences to the Victorian parliamentary inquiry into the health impacts of air pollution.
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she → say → pollution
The inquiry's 2021 tabled report made nine recommendations about wood fire smoke, including to develop a statewide awareness campaign on the dangers of wood heaters, and to consider developing a rebate program to help the progressive phase-out and removal of wood heaters from homes in urban and built-up areas.
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report → table → areas
The government's response was due in 2022, but when it was finally tabled in June this year, Ms Daniel said she felt completely let down.
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she → table → June
"They did not address any recommendations of the inquiry; they simply said this is what we are doing at the moment," she said.
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she → address → moment
The 2022 Victorian Air Quality Strategy promised to take "strong action" to address wood heater pollution, finding there were around 240,000 wood heaters across the state that would create around $8 billion in health impacts over the decade between 2018-28 if usage continued unabated.
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usage → promise → 2018
Ms Daniel criticised a lack of air pollution monitoring, stating the government relies on 10-year-old EPA data from its air pollution inventory as its main source of information on the relative contribution of different air pollutants in Victoria.
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government → criticise → Victoria
Rural GP Robert Phair also made a submission to the inquiry and raised frustration that little was happening to phase out wood heaters compared to gas.
He said the pollution caused by wood heater smoke was comparable to the dangers of cigarette smoke.
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pollution → make → smoke
"The Victorian government has wasted the time of a broad range of air pollution experts over the last decade," Dr Phair said.
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Phair → waste → decade
They have not only missed the opportunity but significantly let down the community in failing to take any effective action on domestic wood heaters.
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They → miss → heaters
"There are some important measures they could take which are discussed in detail in the recommendations to them, but they have simply decided it's easier and more politically expedient to do nothing, so the response has been incredibly disappointing."
Energy, Resources and Environment Minister Jaclyn Symes said there were measures in place to make wood heaters cleaner.
"Wood heaters are an important source of warmth for many Victorians, particularly in regional communities, but we know wood smoke can affect air quality," she said.
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she → be → quality
"We have strong standards in place to make sure wood heaters sold in Victoria are cleaner, more efficient and properly installed."
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heaters → have → Victoria
Wood heaters beloved by many
The Victorian government will begin new building electrification regulations and standards from January 2027, requiring all new homes and commercial buildings to be all-electric, with a focus on moving away from gas rather than wood-burning energy.
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government → begin → energy
The opposition has promised to scrap the gas ban.
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opposition → promise → ban
Wodonga couple Lynette and Richard Whereat are relieved they will be able to retain their wood heater, regardless.
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they → relieve → heater
They chose wood heaters when building their past two homes and said they found it was more efficient and kept the home warmer longer, with free access to firewood through the state's collection points.
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it → choose → points
They said they enjoyed the ritual of wood collection and would keep a wood heater as long as they were allowed.
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they → say → heater
The couple said they also used gas for cooking and have installed solar panels.
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they → say → panels
I think it's much better to have a wide range of different forms of [power] rather than just focusing on one," Mr Whereat said.
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Whereat → think → one
"I think that's a dumb way to go forward as opposed to having a whole lot of things in the basket for energy."
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that → think → energy
The Aporia