The Victorian Parliament has passed the Energy and Land Legislation Amendment (Energy Safety) Bill 2025, which aims to help keep Victorians safe as the energy system changes.
In sharing the announcement, Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources, Lily D’Ambrosio, said that the Energy Safety Bill 2025 will make energy efficient appliances cheaper for Victorian families and crack down on energy safety breaches.
The Bill will amend the Electricity Safety Act, Gas Safety Act and Pipelines Act to introduce a new entry power for Energy Safe officers will be able to enter premises, with a Magistrate-issued warrant. This will mean officers can better investigate reports that pose a risk to public safety.
The Bill will also expand ESV and the courts’ enforcement powers, including powers to stop unsafe work and to suspend an electrical contractor registration or electrical worker licence where it is in the public interest to do so.
The Bill will also increase maximum penalties for offences like knowingly installing unsafe electrical equipment that could cause injury, death or significant property damage and knowingly making unsafe modifications to a gas appliance, which could expose people to the risk of illness or death by carbon monoxide poisoning to $48,000 for an individual and $240,000 for a company.
The State Government said that as Victoria moves towards 95 per cent renewable energy by 2035, it needs to make sure Victoria’s electricity and gas network safety regulations are keeping up with the energy system – which is why it has invested $7 million in Victorian Budget 2023–24 to undertake the Energy Safety Review.
The Energy Safety Review focuses on how the state manages new and emerging safety risks as solar, batteries and other technologies become more common – and consultation is now open for public and stakeholder feedback.
The review covers all energy products and systems that generate, store, transmit or distribute energy, and is focused on preventing harm events that can cause death, injury or property damage.
Ms D’Ambrosio said, “We’re giving our energy safety regulator more powers to investigate and crack down on safety risks and we’ve increased penalties for those found doing the wrong thing.”
“Safety of Victorians is our first priority – that’s why we’re asking for feedback from Victorians and industry on how we can further strengthen our energy safety regulations to make sure they account for new technologies.”
To have your say on the Energy Safety Review visit, engage.vic.gov.au/energy-safety-review.
This amendment will also bring Victoria in line with other states and remove the requirement for the Essential Services Commission (ESC) to set a minimum feed-in tariff from July 1 2025.
