ACT will phase out all wood-burning appliances by 2045, which a businessman says will force it out of business
- ACT government to phase out wood-burning heaters
- Business leaders criticized the decision
- An owner said he would be forced to close his business
A business owner has criticized the ACT government’s decision to phase out wood-burning heaters by 2045.
ACT Environment Minister Rebecca Vasarotti said wood-burning heaters should be phased out, as recommended in a report by the territory’s sustainability and environment commissioner released earlier this year.
The report reveals that the smoke produced by radiators affects people’s health and leads to “a harmless level of air pollution”.
The government’s decision was not well received by a woodstove salesman who spoke to Daily Mail Australia.
A Canberra business owner who sells woodburning heaters in Canberra has criticized the ACT Government’s decision to phase out woodburning, telling the Daily Mail it has cost him his business.
Michael Resnik, managing director of Fyshwick Home and Heating in south-east Canberra, said the government’s decision would force it to close shop.
“We are closing,” Ms Resnik told Daily Mail Australia.
“Damn, I’m renting 850 square meters, including 500 square meters of showroom.
“With my sales plummeting, I can’t even afford to stay here.
“My business is now null and void. »
Mr Resnik, who has run the company for 40 years, said the government’s decision would put his staff out of work.
“That’s going to scrap seven employees and these guys (the ACT government) don’t care,” he said.
“Our business has already been half destroyed by the intention to ban gas.
“Now that we see that the wood is in the line of fire…our business is no longer sustainable.”
Ms Resnik said the decision – taken without any consultation with companies like hers – would destroy several other businesses in the territory.
ACT Environment Minister Rebecca Vasarotti has said wood-burning heaters will be phased out after a report found they produced “a safe level of air pollution”.
Ms Vasarotti admitted some would be affected by the new policy, but said the pros outweighed the cons.
‘I appreciate that many Canberrans grew up with woodburners and they offer a nostalgic charm and comfort,’ she said.
“We have to face the reality that the smoke they emit is a direct source of pollution in our homes…”
“(They constitute) a clear and present danger to the well-being of our community in urban and suburban areas, and an imminent threat to our natural environment.”
The report by ACT Commissioner for Sustainable Development and the Environment, Sophie Lewis, reveals that wood-burning heaters have an impact on people’s health.
THE report which was published in January 2023, concluded that people would be subject to health effects related to the smoke emitted by radiators.
A report by the ACT Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment found that woodburning would affect people’s health, with the results suggesting that there is “no level of pollution at which no health impact occurs “.
“Current research suggests that there is no level of pollution at which no health impact will occur,” the report said.
Mr Resnik said he feared the Government’s plan to abandon wood-burning, in addition to a gas ban, would leave Canberrans dependent on electricity at a time when the cost of such energy was rising sharply.
“If they’re relying on electricity to provide people with adequate heating in minus seven conditions…good luck,” he said.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the minister for comment.
