Congratulations to Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labor Party on a stunning victory, and to the Community Independents and Greens who are likely to join them in our 48th Parliament.
Of the seats that have been called so far, Australians in more than 95 seats of 150 in the lower house have voted for strong action on clean energy that will also reduce household costs, help address climate change, and soundly rejected the Coalition’s nuclear folly, says Solar Citizens.
Solar Citizens CEO Heidi Lee Douglas said:
“In a cost of living crisis, Australians backed what they need: household renewables and support for home batteries; and rejected the Coalition’s expensive gamble on nuclear power.
This election result shows that to secure majority government parties and candidates need a safe, credible climate and energy policy.
Backing solar households with a federal government rebate to make home batteries affordable, through the ALP’s Cheaper Home Batteries policy commitment, has clearly proven to be a vote winner for Australian households.
Whilst the first term of the Labor government pledged $800 million of energy upgrades for social housing and $1 billion for low interest loans for home electrification through the Household Energy Upgrades Fund, this term of government we need to see these schemes rolled out at scale.
We look forward to working with the new government to drive even more ambitious clean energy solutions - especially for those who are currently locked out of the benefits of rooftop solar including apartments dwellers, renters and people in social housing.
This will address cost of living concerns for Generation Z and Millennials who outnumbered Baby Boomers in this election for the first time, and put their trust in Labor.
Solar Citizens will be calling on the second term Albanese government to:
- Establish a taskforce to enable solar for renters
- Extend federal pathways for clean energy upgrades and electrification of apartments
- Commit to and deliver rooftop solar on 30% of social housing properties nationally, in the short term. (1)
Meanwhile, the lessons for the Coalition are stark. We heard loud and clear from Australians who invested in their own rooftop solar and want a battery, that they don't want nuclear. Solar Citizens conveyed this message to Peter Dutton repeatedly throughout the election campaign. But he didn’t listen.
It’s telling that the voters in Dickson and Fairfax, who have some of the highest rates of rooftop solar in the country, soundly rejected the Coalition’s nuclear energy policy, and those responsible for it. Peter Dutton was voted out. Ted O’Brien, who was being called ‘Toxic Ted’ in his community for his focus on nuclear energy, has made his seat marginal.
Six of the remaining QLD LNP members of the lower house represent some of the highest rates of solar installation in Australia. (2)
It’s time for the Coalition to listen to the majority of Australians, admit that renewable energy backed by storage is reliable and will bring down energy bills, and come up with a realistic plan to capitalise on our world leading rooftop solar uptake and further support home renewable energy.
One thing is certain, the majority of Australians have made it clear that they want the climate culture wars to be put behind us, along with any plans for nuclear energy in Australia.
NOTES
(1) Solar Citizens 2025 Pre-election Policy Statement
(2) Solar panel installations as at 31 October 2024,Commonwealth Electoral Divisions, Parliamentary Library. Source: Clean Energy Regulator (postcode data) [The Qld electorates of Fisher, Wright, Bowman, Hinkler, Longman, Wide Bay, Fairfax and Dickson all have more than 60% of households with rooftop solar, while the national average is 1 in3]