Family First’s Jane Foreman says a new poll is a ringing endorsement of her party’s energy policy — and a warning shot to Labor ahead of November. She is renewing calls to scrap the gas phase-out, keep the Latrobe Valley’s coal stations open, unlock Gippsland’s gas, and let Victorians choose how they power their homes.
A new JWS Research poll of 1,000 Victorians, commissioned by Australian Energy Producers and reported in the Herald Sun on 21 July 2026, has found 83 per cent of Victorians want natural gas to remain part of the state’s energy mix.
Fifty-eight per cent oppose the Allan Government’s ban on gas connections in new homes, compared with just 26 per cent in support, and 71 per cent say Victorians should be free to install gas in new builds if they choose.
“This poll is a ringing endorsement of everything Family First has been saying for years,” said Mrs Foreman. “Victorians are sick of being lectured by ideologues in Spring Street. They just want energy that is affordable, reliable, and theirs to choose.”
More than half of those surveyed also oppose the requirement to swap gas hot water systems for electric alternatives from March 2027, while 80 per cent back the right to choose between gas and electric when replacing existing appliances. The poll carries a clear electoral warning too, with 54 per cent more likely to vote for a candidate who backs consumer choice between gas and electricity, and 52 per cent for one who backs the continued use of natural gas.
“Four in five Victorian homes rely on gas for cooking and heating, and this government wants to rip that choice away,” said Mrs Foreman. “Labor should take this poll as the electoral warning it is.”
Family First’s energy policy commits to ending Net Zero targets, abolishing renewable subsidies, keeping and reopening coal-fired power stations, unlocking gas exploration and reserves, and greenlighting nuclear power — the very mix of energy solutions this poll shows Victorians actually want.
“Every one of these numbers backs Family First’s plan for sensible energy policy that keeps costs down,” said Mrs Foreman. “This November, Victorians can vote for more of Labor’s ideology, or for Family First, which will act on this policy and put families and affordable energy first.”
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