ACT Greens call for new shopping centre to be gas free

The planned Molonglo commercial centre would be gas free under a Greens plan to create what they say will be Australia's first all-electric shopping district. Greens leader and climate change minister Shane Rattenbury will make the election promise on Wednesday, less than a month after he announced the ACT would be home to the nation's first all-electric public hospital when the Canberra Hospital expansion was complete. Under the Greens' un-costed proposal, the planned Molonglo shopping precinct wouldn't be hooked up to gas, with the buildings to instead be powered by renewable energy. It would follow the lead of the first batch of homes in the Ginninderry housing estate in West Belconnen, which are all-electric. The ACT government in 2018 granted an exemption to territory laws which mandate the installation of gas mains in new suburbs to allow the trial of all-electric homes to go ahead. The government has since removed the requirement altogether, as it aims to phase out natural gas usage by 2045. Mr Rattenbury said delivering on the Molonglo shopping centre plan would cement the ACT's standing as a national leader in climate action. "By creating Australia's first all-electric town centre, the Greens are delivering world-class climate action - taking the urgent steps we need to tackle the climate crisis," Mr Rattenbury said in a statement. Greens candidate for Murrumbidgee Emma Davidson said the party would work with major retailers, such as supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths, to ensure they were "doing their bit for a more sustainable Canberra". "Residents have long been crying out for a modern town centre that meets their needs," she said. "The Greens will not only ensure that the town centre is delivered as soon as possible, but is climate-ready, comfortable and sustainable over many decades to come." Land for the commercial centre is due for release from 2021-22.