Can you still buy and connect new gas cooktops and heaters in Australia?

Updated February 2026

Yes. If you live in a home with an existing gas connection, you can still buy and install new gas appliances in most parts of Australia.

However, if you are building a new home in certain states or territories, gas may no longer be an option. A growing number of governments are requiring new homes to be all-electric, meaning no new gas connections.

Here, we look at what’s changing - and where - in relation to gas cooktops, gas heating and gas-powered hot water systems.

In recent years, several local councils in New South Wales - including Waverley, Canterbury-Bankstown and Parramatta - have supported planning controls that discourage or restrict new gas connections in certain developments.

While the NSW State Government has not introduced a statewide gas ban, some councils have used planning frameworks and sustainability requirements to favour all-electric new builds. This means the rules can vary depending on where you are building.

Victoria has taken a clearer statewide position. Since 1 January 2024, new homes requiring a planning permit must be built all-electric. In practical terms, this means no new gas connections for most new Victorian homes. Existing homes with gas connections can still repair, maintain or replace their gas appliances.

The ACT has also moved strongly towards electrification. New suburbs are being built without gas connections, and the government has expanded all-electric requirements across new developments. However, this does not mean existing homes are being forced to disconnect from gas.

In other states and territories, gas is still available for both new and existing homes, although electrification policies continue to evolve.

With so many homes and businesses using gas for cooking, heating and water heating, why is there a shift away from it? There are two main reasons: environmental and health.

State and territory governments are working towards significant emissions reductions, and phasing down fossil gas in buildings is part of that strategy.

It is true that fossil fuels still supply a substantial share of Australia’s electricity. However, renewable generation has increased rapidly in recent years, with wind and solar making up a growing portion of supply across the National Electricity Market.

Australia has a national target of 82% renewable electricity by 2030. While achieving this will depend on transmission upgrades and continued investment, the overall direction is clearly towards cleaner electricity generation.

As the grid becomes greener, electric appliances - including induction cooktops and heat pump hot water systems - are expected to produce lower lifetime emissions compared with gas alternatives.

There are also indoor air quality concerns linked to gas appliances.

Gas cooktops and unflued gas heaters release nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and other combustion by-products into the air. These pollutants can aggravate respiratory conditions, particularly in children and people with asthma.

Research published in the Australian Journal of General Practice has estimated that gas cooking is associated with around 12% of childhood asthma cases in Australia. While this does not mean gas directly causes asthma in every case, it has contributed to growing public health discussion about indoor air quality. Outdoor gas water heaters do not pose the same indoor air concerns, but they are still part of broader emissions reduction discussions.

Gas has traditionally been the cheapest form of energy for a lot of Australians, and this has been a key reason for its ubiquity in homes. Now, though, energy costs are rising across the board, resulting in both higher gas bills and electricity bills. The combination of losing its perception as a more affordable energy source and being increasingly linked to health concerns could be the catalyst for more families to reconsider how they cook and how they heat their homes.

Gas cooking is an integral part of commercial kitchens, so a ban on new connections could make things tricky for those opening new restaurants or food businesses in areas where the restriction also applies to new commercial premises, and therefore affects business operators as well as homeowners.

While some chefs, including high-profile restauranteur Luke Mangan, have voiced their concerns about switching to an all-electric system, others like Neil Perry, who has been operating gas-free commercial kitchens in his restaurants since 2006, have offered their support. Praising the speed and cleanliness of induction cooking, Perry says that transitioning to cooking with electricity can be done without too much difficulty for those who are renovating commercial kitchens or fitting out new ones.

For businesses planning new fit-outs, electrification is increasingly becoming part of standard design considerations rather than a constraint.

When you turn on the shower or tap in a lot of Aussie homes, the hot water that flows will be courtesy of either a continuous flow or gas-heated water tank. While gas-powered water heaters that are located outside the house don’t pose the health risks associated with gas cooktops and indoor heaters, they do still have higher greenhouse gas emissions than some modern alternatives like electric heat pump water tanks.

Electric heat pump water heaters extract heat from the surrounding air and use it to heat water, making them far more energy efficient than traditional electric resistance tanks. In Victoria, new homes must install electric hot water systems, and heat pumps are strongly encouraged. Financial incentives are also available through state and federal programs for households replacing older gas systems with more efficient electric ones.

In most other states and territories, gas water heaters can still be installed in both new and existing homes - though the ACT has also banned new gas connections. Aside from mandated behaviour change, factors like rising energy prices, rebate programs and health concerns are increasingly influencing more Australians to reconsider their choice of fuel.

Some States and Territories already offer incentives, in the form of rebates, to encourage the uptake of assorted energy-saving practices, including upgrading to electric heat pump water tanks, kitchen and laundry appliances, rooftop solar panels and storage batteries.

Eligibility requirements vary between the schemes. Here’s where you can find more information about rebates in your area.

Tasmania, Northern Territory and Western Australia have no State or Territory-specific schemes in place, but residents may be eligible for rebates under the Federal Government's Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme.

Energy rebate schemes evolve over time, but you can keep track of what's available from Federal, State and Territory governments, at energy.gov.au.

Most Aussie barbies - and a small number of hot water systems - are powered by LPG bottled gas, as opposed to piped natural gas. The Victorian government hasn’t included LPG in the phase-out of gas connections, so it’s likely that other states, territories and council areas won’t either.

Regardless of government and council moves to reduce reliance on gas, many people are embracing electrification of their own accord, due to health, environmental or safety concerns. In Australia, the most commonly used gas appliances are cooktops, heaters and water heaters (in some countries gas ovens and gas clothes dryers are also more widely used).

If you’re considering transitioning your home from gas to all-electric appliances, here are a few substitutes for commonplace gas appliances.

Rather than heating the cooktop's surface, which then heats the pan, an induction cooktop uses electromagnetic induction to heat the pan directly. Compared with other types of cooktop, this results in less time needed for heating and lower energy consumption. You will, however, need to use induction-compatible cookware.

Shop induction cooktops

In a similar way to reverse cycle air con, heat pump water heaters extract heat from the outside air, increase its temperature, and transfer it to the water in a storage tank. They are significantly more energy efficient - and cheaper to run - than traditional gas storage tanks and continuous flow (tankless) gas hot water systems.

Shop heat pump water heaters

A good alternative to gas heaters if you live in a part of the country that has relatively mild winters, a reverse cycle split system, portable or window air conditioner can heat your home in the colder months as well as cool it in summer. As a heating system, it absorbs heat from outside air, compresses it to increase its temperature, and blows the warm air into your home.

Shop reverse cycle air conditioning