Rewiring Australia calls for landlords to pay gas connection charges

An analysis by Rewiring Australia reveals that Australian renters are paying approximately $440 million annually in fixed gas connection charges. The report highlights that 1.63 million households, representing 49 per cent of renters, are connected to mains gas regardless of whether they use the service or have the authority to switch to electric appliances.

Rewiring Australia chief executive Francis Vierboom is calling for fairness reforms that would shift these connection charges to property owners. He argues that because landlords control whether a property remains on the gas network, they should bear the costs associated with that decision. The group suggests that if landlords transitioned to electric heating, hot water, and cooktops, renters could save an average of $1,600 per year, totaling $2.6 billion nationally.

The push for reform follows a warning from the Australian Energy Market Commission that gas customers may face rising bills in the short term as providers attempt to recover costs from a diminishing customer base.