A Coalition Government will back Australian gas, unlock new supply and use State Energy Deals to deliver cheaper, more reliable energy for Australian families and businesses.

Australia is one of the most energy-rich countries in the world, yet Australians are being asked to pay more for energy because Labor governments have made it harder to produce what we have here at home.

Power bills have risen close to 40 per cent since 2022 and Australian manufacturers are being squeezed by high energy costs.

A Coalition Government will change that. We will pursue new State Energy Deals with states and territories prepared to make meaningful commitments to unlock new gas supply.

The model is simple: states unlock the gas, Canberra helps deliver what is needed, and Commonwealth support is tied to action.

That could mean a state opening up new gas fields, getting a stalled project moving or removing unnecessary regulatory roadblocks. In return, the Commonwealth could partner on pipelines, storage, gas-fired generation or other infrastructure needed to get more energy into the system.

For families, more supply means more competition, more reliable power and downward pressure on energy bills.

For a local bakery, pub or small manufacturer, it means less risk that soaring energy costs eat into margins and force prices up.

For major manufacturers making food, glass, bricks, chemicals and other Australian products, it means access to the reliable energy they need to keep plants running and Australians in jobs.

When the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing, more gas supply means reliable generation is there to help keep the lights on.

This is not a new or untested approach.

When Angus Taylor was Energy Minister, the former Coalition Government negotiated bilateral energy deals exceeding $3 billion with New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory that brought Commonwealth and state governments together around practical commitments on supply, infrastructure and reliability.

Australia cannot solve a gas supply problem by continuing to lock up Australian gas.

Labor has systematically embedded discrimination against Australian gas, oil and coal across Commonwealth laws and programs, making investment harder at precisely the time Australia needs new supply.

The Coalition will introduce legislation to repeal or reverse Labor’s restrictions affecting:

the EPBC Act and environmental approvals;
Export Finance Australia;
the Industry Research and Development Act;
the National Reconstruction Fund; and
Future Made in Australia.

Leader of the Opposition Angus Taylor said Australia should be an energy superpower, not a country struggling with energy scarcity.

“Australia has gas under our feet, workers ready to develop it and families desperate for relief from high energy bills, yet Labor’s answer has been to make Australian energy harder to produce,” Mr Taylor said.

“A state that is prepared to unlock new gas will have a willing partner in Canberra to help get that gas from the ground, through the pipeline and into Australian homes and businesses.

“More Australian gas means stronger competition, more reliable electricity, more secure manufacturing jobs and downward pressure on the energy bills families and businesses pay.”

Leader of The Nationals Matt Canavan said the EPBC Act was being weaponised to take away basic rights, while Labor’s safeguard mechanism was stopping threatening crucial companies and projects including gas.

“Labor has made Australia poorer by locking up our resources and obsessing over select forms of energy production,” Senator Canavan said.

“Banning the use of our resources has pushed energy bills up, so unleashing our energy resources will bring the cost of living down.”

Shadow Minister for Resources Senator Susan McDonald said Australia needed to send a clear signal that investment in Australian resources was welcome

“The gas industry supports around 200,000 Australian jobs. These are good, well-paid jobs, many of them in regional Australia, supporting families, small businesses and communities across the country,” Senator McDonald said.

“Labor has spent years putting up barriers to the very investment we need to create more jobs and bring on more supply.

“The Coalition will make Australia a better place to invest, explore and develop new resources.”

Shadow Minister for Energy Dan Tehan said the Coalition’s goal was energy abundance, not energy scarcity.

“More gas means cheaper gas, and Australia should be producing as much affordable and reliable energy as we can,” Mr Tehan said.

“Gas is critical to that abundance, supporting our electricity grid, our manufacturers and Australian households.

“Our focus will be simple – more supply, better reliability and lower prices.”

Shadow Minister for the Environment Senator Andrew Bragg said while Australia is rich in natural resources, Labor is making us poorer through policy.

“I want more of everything that can deliver affordable, reliable energy for Australians. I also want competitive neutrality, so all of our resources can be utilised,” Senator Bragg said.

“Labor’s ideological purity test has made it harder to get projects approved and harder to develop the resources Australia already has.

“Our Bill will undo Labor’s damaging ideological restrictions and ensure that projects can get approved in a timely way and be assessed on their merits.

“Under Labor, Australia is increasingly closed for business. We will get projects moving again.”

The announcement builds on Coalition commitments to:

fast-track National Strategic Priority Projects under the EPBC Act, including the Taroom Trough and Browse Basin;
restore the $100 million Junior Minerals Exploration Incentive, including $50 million for oil and gas exploration; and
unlock the investment needed to bring new Australian gas supply online.

Australia does not lack energy resources, it lacks a government willing to develop them.

It is part of our Plan to Fix the Economy and Protect our Way of Life with lower taxes, cheaper power, less migration and more homes.

Liberal Party of Australia

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