Australia’s leading advocate for the country’s property industry, the Property Council of Australia (PCA), will today become a member of the Global Cooksafe Coalition (GCC), effectively signalling its support for fossil fuel free kitchens in property across the country.

The PCA represents 2300 member companies who are part of the largest industry and biggest employer in Australia. One of the organisation’s priority areas is leading sustainability which includes promoting the uptake of energy efficiency initiatives and clean energy.

Mike Zorbas, Chief Executive of the Property Council, says that we already have all the answers we need for the electrification of the built environment – and that now policies should follow.

“If we drive down our reliance on gas, we meet our emissions targets and make all Australian homes cheaper to run. Efficient electric appliances like induction cooktops, are already available.

We now need policies to support their widespread adoption. Incentives are essential for an equitable transition to a cleaner built environment.

Every new building with gas will require a costly retrofit sooner rather than later. The National Construction Code 2025 should be clear – new buildings are all-electric with a plan in place for a managed phase out of fossil gas in existing buildings and appliances.”

These sentiments are shared by the GCC, along with a recognition that commercial and residential kitchens are often the gateway decision encouraging the installation or retention of gas fired heating, cooling and hot water in buildings. Encouraging the electrification of kitchens leads to the decarbonisation of the building sector as a whole.

In response to this, the GCC brings together property companies, world renowned chefs, government supporters and public health and climate experts. The coalition calls for the transition away from cooking with fossil fuels towards healthier, more affordable and more sustainable kitchens.

The GCC’s partners and members include Cbus Property, GPT, Frasers, Lendlease, Scape and Grosvenor UK, who have committed to phasing out gas in new kitchens in their developments by 2030 and retrofitting existing kitchens to be fossil fuel free by 2040.