Affordable & Responsible

Australians deserve affordable energy and responsible emissions reduction.

We can do both. But affordable energy must come first.

Labor is being dishonest about the costs of its plan. Power prices have increased 40% since Labor was elected. To reach their 2035 target will require $530 billion in new spending.

We will deliver affordable electricity for Australia as our number one priority, while reducing emissions in line with OECD countries.

We will lower emissions each year on average, as quickly and responsibly as technology allows.

Labor’s Approach is Unaffordable

Despite promising to reduce electricity prices, electricity prices are up nearly 40% since Labor was elected.¹

Small businesses were promised an 18 per cent reduction on their bill by 2025 but now face increases of as much as 80 per cent.

Already, Labor’s has committed $75 billion (equivalent to $7,000 per household) in additional climate spending.²

The Business Council of Australia estimates up to $530 billion would be needed to reach its 2035 target³ (equivalent to $50,000 per household).  Labor is not being upfront about these costs.

Labor badly missed their 2025 target for electricity prices. How can we believe their 2050 target for emissions?

6-YEAR SNAPSHOT

Power prices fell 10% under the Coalition and skyrocketed 39% under Labor⁴

Labor’s Approach is Unrealistic and Unfair

Australia should be reducing emissions in line with the developed world, not racing ahead.

Since 2005, Australia has reduced its emissions by 28 per cent, while developed (OECD) countries have reduced theirs by an average 16 per cent.⁵

Australia has cut emissions at almost double the rate of other developed countries.

To reach net zero by 2050, we’d have to double this rate again – reducing emissions by 17 million tonnes per year, up from the 9 million tonnes averaged over the last twenty years.

Reducing Emissions in a Responsible Way

Under our plan, emissions will be reduced:

• On average year on year (for every five year period of Australia’s Nationally Determined Contribution);
• In Australia’s national interest by doing our fair share, considering the performance of OECD countries; and
• As fast and far as technology allows, without imposing mandated costs on families or industries.

We remain committed to the Paris Agreement and to doing our fair share to reduce emissions in a way that protects household budgets and keeps our economy strong.

Our focus is on results Australians can afford, not targets Australia cannot meet.

While it is not our policy to set long term targets, Net Zero would be a welcome outcome, if achieved through technology, choice and voluntary markets.

Using All of Australia’s Energy Strengths

We will adopt a balanced energy mix, harnessing all available energy technologies to make energy affordable. This includes:

• Renewables in the right place.
• Hydro and storage.
• Gas generation, and new gas supply by unlocking more exploration and infrastructure, and an east coast gas reservation scheme – to prioritise more supply for Australians.
• No premature closure of coal plants, which provide critical baseload power.
• Lifting the ban on zero-emissions nuclear energy, which 19 of the world’s 20 largest economies are either using or moving toward. By lifting the ban, it can be considered as an option for investment.

Australia should be a country where we use Australian resources to help Australians first.

1. Australian Energy Regulator, Default Market Offer 2021-22 vs 2025-26 (Endeavour network) ↩︎
2. Press conference – Melbourne | Prime Minister of Australia, 19/9/2025 ↩︎
3. Business Council of Australia, ‘Australia 2035 – Maximising Our Potential’ ↩︎
4. ABS Monthly CPI, May 2019 to May 2022 and May 2022 to Sept 2025 ↩︎
5. OECD Data Explorer • Air emissions – Greenhouse gas emissions Inventories (2005 to latest data in 2023) ↩︎