Overview
- The Liberal Party formally abandoned Australia’s legislated net zero‑by‑2050 target and set a technology‑neutral approach promising year‑on‑year emissions reductions while remaining in the Paris Agreement.
- The opposition proposes rewriting the Capacity Investment Scheme and changing Clean Energy Finance Corporation rules to allow public support for coal and gas, alongside keeping ageing coal plants operating longer and permitting nuclear.
- Senior figures have not released modelling or costings to substantiate claims of lower power bills, and energy analyst Tony Wood and others say the plan is unlikely to cut prices or meaningfully reduce emissions.
- Regulatory and market analyses highlight deteriorating coal economics as daytime solar grows, with recent extensions such as NSW’s Eraring requiring substantial public underwriting despite reliability concerns.
- Moderate Liberals warn of losses in metropolitan seats as former leaders and the Climate Change Authority’s Matt Kean condemn the shift, and senior Liberals meet Nationals representatives this weekend to finalise a joint Coalition position.