Australian Coalition proposes major energy and climate policy shifts

The Australian Coalition has unveiled an eight-point energy plan that proposes significant changes to the nation’s decarbonization and climate policies. If returned to power, the Coalition intends to repeal the Climate Change Act 2022, effectively removing legislated net-zero emissions targets.

The plan also includes the repeal of the safeguard mechanism, which regulates emissions for Australia’s largest industrial polluters, and the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard Act of 2024. Additionally, the Coalition seeks to revoke four offshore wind energy zones located in the Hunter, Illawarra, Southern Ocean, and Bunbury regions, citing a lack of community social license.

Energy and emissions reduction spokesperson Dan Tehan stated that the current energy policy has been driven by ideology rather than affordability and reliability. To address this, the Coalition proposes removing legislative prohibitions on nuclear energy to allow for its evaluation and intends to make federal energy funding to states conditional on prioritizing cost and reliability. The plan also suggests redirecting the Australian Energy Regulator to focus primarily on these two metrics for households and businesses.