The Coalition’s newly announced energy plan is negligent and reckless. It would increase Australia’s reliance on foreign oil, raise power and transport costs, and increase deadly climate pollution risks.
Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie said:
“This brain fart of a policy will send power bills through the roof. Propping up clapped-out coal plants will add hundreds of dollars to household bills. Then there’s the eye-wateringly expensive hundreds of billions for a nuclear fantasy on top.
“The Coalition’s war on renewables is pure ideology. They want every egg in the basket of volatile fossil fuels and a nuclear fantasy. And they want taxpayers to foot the bill.
“They want to remove the only thing putting downward pressure on energy prices: renewable power. Australia is the sunniest and one of the windiest countries in the world. To disrupt the transition to renewable power is reckless and self-defeating, squandering the jobs, investment and prosperity that should be ours.
“In a world that is increasingly volatile, the Coalition’s plan to increase Australia’s reliance on foreign oil and limit Australians’ access to more efficient vehicles would make us more vulnerable to future global shocks. Australians have been flocking to EVs and more efficient vehicles since the New Vehicle Efficiency Standards came in. The Coalition wants to force Australians back into the most polluting cars in the world and increase our dependence on foreign oil. This is a recipe for more insecure and costly energy and transport – it makes no sense at all.
“Of course underpinning this is years of climate denial. Australia is also facing down a serious El Nino that will be made more severe and ferocious due to climate change. The Coalition’s plan is to let climate change rip. It’s deadly negligence that would leave Australians facing more fires, floods and heatwaves.
“They have no answer for the millions of Australians whose insurance premiums keep rising with worsening extreme weather risk, or the hundreds of thousands of people who simply can’t access insurance.
“If the Coalition was in power today it would mean a more dangerous future for all Australians. More floods in Taree and Grafton, even more frequent and dangerous fire seasons like Black Summer, and the demise of the Great Barrier Reef. They’ve gone from ‘I don’t hold a hose, mate’ to ‘let’s put fuel on the fire’.’’
Key facts
The Coalition’s plan is aligned with severe climate consequences:
- Australian Government spending on disaster recovery would increase seven-fold by 2090.
- Productivity would take a $135-423 billion hit by 2063, with workers hampered by extreme heat.
- Deaths caused by heatwaves would increase by 440% in Sydney and 260% in Melbourne.
The Coalition’s plan would lead to higher power prices:
- Renewables and storage now provide more than 45% of electricity in Australia’s main grid and helped cut wholesale power prices almost in half in late 2025. Power prices are projected to fall by 5% over the next five years as more renewables come online.
- A prolonged reliance on gas and coal could see $449 higher household power bills by 2030, compared to Australia’s current plan to build more renewables backed by storage.
- In contrast, the renewables already in Australia’s grid reduced power bills by over $150 per household in 2024
The Coalition’s plan would increase transport costs and dependence on foreign oil.
- Electric and hybrid vehicles are already saving almost 15 million litres of petrol and diesel every week – freeing up the equivalent of 325 fuel truck deliveries.
- Electric and hybrid vehicle owners saved about $50 million in fuel price spikes in March, and $62 million in April, with everyday Australians in the outer suburbs benefiting the most from government support to purchase EVs.
ENDS
For interviews please contact the Climate Council media team on media@climatecouncil.org.au or call 0485 863 063.
The Climate Council is an independent, community-funded organisation. We provide evidence-based information on climate change impacts and solutions to journalists, policymakers, and the wider Australian community.
For further information, go to: climatecouncil.org.au
