Today’s decisions will shape the kind of world our kids inherit. Everything political leaders do now matters.
We are living in an extraordinary moment in history. On the one hand, the past two years have been the hottest in recorded history, and unnatural disasters, driven by the burning of coal, oil and gas, threaten lives and livelihoods like never before. On the other hand, real momentum has been built behind our historic shift to clean energy at home and abroad. We are in the middle of the race of our lives, with the winners creating new opportunities, improved wellbeing and prosperity for people on an epic scale.
In times like these, the choices our political and industry leaders make define how much danger and disruption will be experienced by today’s young people, and whether Australia builds the clean industries that lock in good, ongoing jobs and economic growth.
After a lost decade for climate action, Australia is making progress on tackling pollution and the upcoming federal election presents a golden opportunity to keep that momentum going. Australians have an opportunity this year to support politicians and parties who offer practical solutions that drive down climate pollution, lower energy costs, create thousands of secure jobs, and make our lives cleaner, safer, and more resilient.
2025 is the midway point of the critical decade for climate action, with the next term of federal parliament taking us most of the way to 2030. So much rides on getting this election right. We have arrived at our monumental moment.
Here are ten practical policies that Australia’s next Government should implement to seize the decade by delivering necessary cuts to climate pollution while building a cleaner and stronger economy.
Grow the grid and put power in the hands of more Aussies
Today, about 40% of the electricity in our main electricity grid comes from clean energy sources, like the sun and wind. This powers our economy without producing climate pollution. By the end of this decade, we can power our lives with a bigger, 94% renewables national grid and make the shift almost entirely away from polluting electricity sources.
Australia also leads the world in rooftop solar takeup and, with strong support from communities, businesses and governments, we can seize the power of the sun to become the undisputed rooftop solar world champions by the end of the decade while unlocking even greater benefits for Aussies along the way.
The Aussie Solar Drive
A bill-slashing national initiative to double the number of rooftop solar systems on Australian homes by the end of the decade and significantly increase household electricity storage.
The Australian Energy Corps
Australia’s biggest-ever energy training initiative, equipping young people and experienced energy workers with the skills to power up Australia in secure, well-paid jobs.
Resilient, charged up schools
Investment in local schools and community facilities to deliver more clean energy, battery storage and building improvements that keep our kids healthy and thriving in a changing climate.
Home electrification
A national roadmap to electrify all Australian homes, cut bills and climate pollution, and wind down household gas infrastructure as families switch to cleaner, cheaper energy.
Clean up industry and power Australia’s next era of prosperity
The current Federal Government’s Future Made in Australia plan lays the foundation for a thriving clean economy. To seize this opportunity, we need to start taking concrete steps to shift away from fossil fuels and back the industries that will power our future.
Fix Australia’s national environment law
Australia’s national environment law does not directly address climate change. Improved nature laws need to say a clear ‘yes’ to responsibly-delivered clean energy and industry projects, and a decisive ‘no’ to projects that will cause more climate harm.
Call time on offshore oil and gas exploration
Extracting and burning expensive polluting fossil fuels has to stop. It’s time to end new exploration for offshore oil and gas, which is surplus to our needs and causes more climate harm.
Enable offshore wind with local shipbuilding
Boosting local shipbuilding, through direct investment in common-user equipment, is a smart solution that helps accelerate the development of Australia’s offshore wind industry.
Cleaner, cheaper transport choices for more Aussies
Transport is one of the biggest costs for Australian families and a major source of climate pollution. The average household spends more than $20,000 a year on petrol, maintenance, tolls and other vehicle running costs.
With a greater mix of shared and active transport options, we can halve climate pollution from transport by 2030 and give Aussies better choices to get from A to B, helping families in our capital cities save on transport costs and creating safer, less congested streets in local neighbourhoods.
More transport choices in our cities
With a major national boost to the infrastructure that enables shared and active transport use, more Australians living in our big cities will have real alternatives to the private car.
Faster rail for connected communities
Practical and affordable upgrades to strategic rail routes connecting Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra will create a real alternative to flying and driving that cuts climate pollution at the same time.
A salary boost for cleaner transport
By putting shared and active transport on the same footing as electric vehicles under tax law, employers can offer workers salary benefits for a wider range of low-pollution transport options.
There is no safe level of climate pollution. Everything we do to reduce it matters.
After years of “climate whiplash”, where Aussies have been hurled from flooding rains to fierce fires and back again, we need to reduce climate pollution as quickly as possible. The science tells us the lion’s share of cuts need to happen this decade.
The good news is that, by investing in practical policies that slash pollution, Australia can build a stronger, fairer and more prosperous country that sets our kids up for success. By seizing the decade and rapidly reducing emissions, the benefits will flow to families, workers, and businesses, ensuring a brighter future for generations to come.
Millions of Australians put climate first at the ballot box in 2022 and helped Australia move on from a decade of climate denial, delay and distraction under previous Liberal-National Coalition Governments. And over the last three years, Australia’s clean energy revolution has kicked off all around us, with more solar on rooftops and electric vehicles on our roads electrifying our lives and cutting energy costs.
With another election on the horizon, now is the time to turbocharge this momentum and keep building a cleaner, healthier and more resilient Australia.
