Sydney residents are facing a ban on cooking with gas barbecues, a decision that has stirred significant controversy.
The City of Sydney officially approved a measure on Monday to prohibit gas connections, with 60 out of 84 public submissions backing the initiative to shift all new homes and businesses to electric power.
This prohibition now extends to outdoor gas devices, such as heaters and barbecues.
Radio presenter Ben Fordham criticized Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore following previous news that patrons in her city were restricted from standing and drinking outside bars.
“It’s Clover’s world order,” Fordham remarked.
“You can’t stand and drink outside a pub unless you’re at a cocktail table, and you can’t grill with friends in your backyard unless you’re using an electric barbecue.”
Adam Stratton, from Tender Gourmet Butchery in Hornsby, said the traditional Aussie backyard barbecue was dead.
He described the ban as ‘ridiculous’, saying electric barbecues took ages to heat up to an appropriate temperature and struggled to cook a thick steak.
Aussies in the City of Sydney will not be able to use gas barbecues outside under new council rules
‘Cook a butterfly leg of lamb or some ribs on it (electric barbecue), you’ve got no chance,’ he said.
‘You just don’t get that caramelisation. This would be ridiculous.
‘Electric barbecues are rubbish. It’s like cooking on a fry pan. You want to have a barbecue to smoke…and the steak and sausages get flared up.’
While gas has been marketed as a ‘cleaner’ fossil fuel, natural gas is mostly methane, which traps much more heat than carbon dioxide.
Frequent leaks at every stage of production mean its climate impact is greater than previously believed, making reduced gas use vital to meeting emissions targets.
Council claimed the ban on gas would reduce emissions and improve affordability, but critics say it will increase the risk of blackouts, delay the building sector and make household bills more expensive.
The changes in Sydney will take effect on January 1, 2027.
A council spokesman said the city was ‘committed to having net zero emissions in our area by 2035’.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has led the anti-gas charge
‘Reducing fossil fuels is a key part of this,’ he said.
‘Until this happens, we’re looking at other ways we can electrify residential homes and reduce new gas connections within the City of Sydney.’
Moore said the decision would help residents save money and cited research linking gas stoves to 12 per cent of childhood asthma cases in Australia.
‘Relying on gas is bad for the planet, bad for our finances and bad for our health,’ she claimed.
‘More energy-efficient buildings which meet future energy standards and avoid expensive retrofitting is an obvious next step.’
Doctors for the Environment Australia chairman Shaun Watson said Moore’s anti-gas approach would have a positive effect on her voters.
‘Gas used in the home also releases nitrogen dioxide, benzene and formaldehyde, which are known to trigger childhood asthma and are linked to cancers,’ he said.
‘City of Sydney has just placed itself on the right side of history in the transition towards renewables and electrification, which will help the environment and improve people’s health,’ he said.
Meanwhile, Premier Chris Minns said he would scrap Covid-era rules forcing pubgoers to sit down when having a drink outside a bar.
Minns told Moore’s council to ‘take a breath and let people have a bit of fun’.
‘It’s ridiculous that in cities all over the world, from London to Paris, people can enjoy a drink while standing outside a bar or a pub, but in Sydney, the City of Sydney think they can decide who sits and stands while having a drink,’ Minns said.
‘This is a simple change that would add life and atmosphere to the city while helping small venues thrive.’
