Coalition's Cheaper Power Plan: Evidence-Free Energy Ideology 2026

The Coalition's cheaper power plan is being sold as a pragmatic fix for rising electricity bills, but it is an evidence-free exercise in energy ideology that would raise emissions and do little to cut costs. In a press release on Wednesday, first given to The Australian for a not exactly hard-won “exclusive”, the opposition declared “Australians need cheaper power, not more ideology”. You don’t have to get far beyond that headline to find its position comes from a worldview that is ideology on steroids.

What the Coalition's Cheaper Power Plan Actually Proposes

Most of what the Coalition announced wasn’t actually new. The fresh bit is that it has promised to package up eight commitments in a new bill that would be introduced within 30 days if it was elected. Remarkably, at least half of those commitments are to abolish policies that were introduced under Coalition governments led by Scott Morrison, Tony Abbott and John Howard. Angus Taylor and Matt Canavan say they would tear up the legislated net zero target, scrap the safeguard mechanism, and unwind renewable energy agencies.

That worldview says climate change is not real, or at least not a real concern, and Australia should abolish nearly all plans to respond to or prepare the economy – and people’s lives – for the changes under way. As one campaigner put it, it is a plan to let climate change rip. Greenhouse gas emissions would be much higher than on the current trajectory.

Why Cheaper Power Claims Don't Add Up

From a here-and-now consumer point of view, it is a plan that is based on the fallacy that the big jump in power bills in recent years is due to renewable energy and a legislated net zero target. Evidence and most experts clearly say otherwise. But both are disregarded.

In reality, the main drivers of higher power bills have been volatile global gas prices, aging coal plants, and network costs. Renewable energy, by contrast, has been the cheapest source of new generation for years. The Coalition's cheaper power plan ignores this evidence and instead doubles down on the same ideology that has left Australia's energy policy in limbo for a decade.

Comparing the Coalition's Cheaper Power Plan to Current Policy

Key Takeaways from the Coalition's Cheaper Power Plan

• The plan is heavy on ideology and light on evidence for cheaper power.
• It would abolish policies introduced by previous Coalition governments.
• Experts say it would raise emissions and fail to cut power bills.
• It ignores the real drivers of higher electricity prices.

FAQ: Coalition's Cheaper Power Plan