Climate Change & Energy

Australia is facing a climate emergency, and it's time we treated it like one. The solutions are ready—we just need the political will to act.

The Greens have a plan to get Australia to net-zero by 2035, end corporate influence over climate policy, and stop greenwashing and dangerous distractions like nuclear energy.

The Greens' plan:

• Legislate a 75% emissions cut by 2030 and net-zero by 2035, with a goal of 100% renewables by 2030, coordinated by a National Climate Action Taskforce.
• Ban fossil fuel donations, strengthen lobbying rules, and require Ministers to publish their diaries to end corporate influence over politics.
• Ban fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship, introduce emissions warning labels, and compensate community groups that cut ties with fossil sponsors.
• Make greenwashing illegal with strict definitions, independent certification, and penalties for false climate claims.
• Keep Australia nuclear-free by maintaining existing bans, blocking new uranium mines, and pushing Australia to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

We cannot tackle the climate crisis while expanding the industries causing it. That’s why the first step must be to keep coal, oil and gas in the ground—no new mines, no new drilling, no more handouts.

At the same time, we must support coal workers and regional communities through a planned transition. With the right investments, the end of coal and gas can be the beginning of a jobs boom in clean industries across the country. 

The Greens have a plan to phase out fossil fuels, protect workers and communities, and make polluters pay their fair share.

The Greens' plan:

• Ban all new coal, oil and gas projects, cancel exploration permits, and block expansions using federal powers.
• Phase out coal-fired power by 2030 with a national closure timeline managed by the Australian Energy Market Operator.
• Guarantee coal and gas workers new jobs on equal pay through a job-for-job program with extended wage subsidies and support for older workers.
• Expand the Net Zero Economy Authority to support all fossil fuel workers and invest $10 billion in clean industries and infrastructure in transitioning regions.
• End fossil fuel subsidies and redirect billions into renewable energy, green manufacturing, and climate resilience.
• Fix gas tax loopholes so companies pay their fair share, raising $128 billion to fund clean energy and reduce household costs.

Transport is one of the fastest growing sources of emissions in Australia—and it’s also one of the biggest pressures on our cost of living. 

The Greens have a plan to make transport cleaner, cheaper and more accessible by investing in public transport, electric vehicles, and local manufacturing.

By slashing fares, investing in public and active transport, rolling out a national EV charger network and driving down car prices, we can cut pollution, save families money and create jobs in the industries of the future.

The Greens' plan:

• Make public transport cheaper and more accessible with 50 cent fares nationwide and a $40 billion investment in sustainable cities including expanding active and public transport networks to build walkable, bike-friendly cities.
• Build the high-speed rail network between major cities and regions, ensuring it remains publicly owned and built in the public interest.
• Support the shift to electric vehicles with scaled rebates of up to $10,000, including extra support for Australian-made cars and a publicly owned fast-charging network.
• Tighten emissions standards with strong penalties for non-compliance to encourage manufacturers to provide more electric vehicles and phase out new petrol and diesel light vehicle sales by 2030.
• Rebuild Australia’s car manufacturing industry by investing in local EV and component production through the National Reconstruction Fund.

As climate-fuelled disasters become more intense and more frequent, Australians are paying the price—through rising insurance premiums, destroyed homes, and public infrastructure that can’t cope. 

The Greens have a plan to make the coal and gas companies pay for the damage they’ve caused and to prepare our communities for what’s coming. 

From cheaper insurance to disaster-ready infrastructure, a rapid-response unit and better emergency services—we’ll keep people safe, not fossil fuel profits.

The Greens' plan:

• Make coal, oil and gas corporations legally and financially liable for the damage they cause—by giving people the right to sue and requiring fossil fuel companies to pay into the reinsurance pool and Disaster Recovery Fund.
   
• Cut the cost of insurance by expanding the public reinsurance pool to cover all natural disasters including flood and fire, removing stamp duty from home and car insurance, and funding the ACCC to monitor pricing and transparency.
• Protect homes and communities from climate impacts with $4.5 billion for disaster-ready projects, $20,000 grants for high-risk households, and a national disaster risk map to guide planning and preparedness.
• Strengthen frontline response with $5 billion for emergency services and $3 billion for a new Climate Response Service to coordinate lifesaving work on the ground helping with clean-up, recovery and resilience.
• Provide quick disaster response with over $500 million for a National Disaster Response Unit with rapid-deployment aircraft and crews to respond quickly to floods, fires and remote rescues, and assist with humanitarian disaster relief across the Asia-Pacific region.

Power bills are soaring and fossil fuel corporations are making record profits while our climate is being pushed to the brink. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Australia has everything we need to power our homes, businesses and industries with clean, cheap renewable energy. 

The Greens’ plan will supercharge solar and storage, get homes and businesses off expensive and polluting gas, and rewire the country to reach 100% renewable energy by 2030. 

By making energy public again, we can drive down prices, slash pollution and put people, not profits, at the heart of our energy system

The Greens' plan:

• Unlock solar potential by investing in affordable, accessible clean energy for renters, apartment dwellers, social housing, schools and public buildings.
• Guarantee a ‘renters right to solar’ - ensuring that renters have the ability to request the installation of solar in their rental and landlords do not have the right to unreasonably refuse 
• Build clean energy storage capacity by helping houses and small businesses with the costs of battery installation and increasing investment in community batteries.
• Help households and small businesses electrify with grants and loans to replace gas appliances, cutting pollution and  energy bills.
• Work with states and territories to set strong building standards, aiming to double energy efficiency and require solar and all-electric appliances in new homes.
• Support First Nations and locally owned clean energy projects through the Australian Local Power Agency and targeted investments in community energy.
• Deliver 100% renewable energy by 2030 by expanding the Capacity Investment Scheme and launching FutureGrid to fix grid congestion and support EV charging.
• Create PowerAustralia and the Commonwealth Electricity Corporation to deliver low-cost, publicly owned renewable power.
• Extend the Renewable Energy Target to big businesses to incentivise renewable installation and help drive down Australia’s emissions faster
• Establish a national Office of Electrification to guide the energy transition and review National Electricity Market rules to prioritise people, communities and climate over corporate profits.

Australia has powered the world with coal and gas for decades. Now, we can power the world with clean energy.

The Greens have a plan to phase out thermal coal exports by 2030 and replace them with a world-leading clean energy export economy—backed by our abundance of sun, wind, critical minerals and industrial know-how.

We’ll electrify our export terminals, invest in green industries, and use our global position to speed up decarbonisation worldwide.

At the same time, we’ll slash plastic waste, reduce emissions, and create thousands of sustainable jobs in regions that currently depend on fossil fuels.

The Greens' plan:

• Phase out thermal coal exports by 2030 with a declining export cap and rising levy to drive global investment in clean alternatives.
• Fast-track a green manufacturing boom by investing in key technologies like green steel, aluminium, electrolysers for green hydrogen, and heat pumps.
• Fast-charge Australia’s battery manufacturing with an additional $5 billion for the National Battery Strategy while ensuring a reserve of critical minerals is prioritised for Australian manufacturing.
• Electrify and repurpose LNG export terminals into hydrogen and ammonia hubs, freeing up domestic gas and supporting the transition.
• Rebuild clean industry with a revived Clean Technology Investment Program, targeted support for research innovation in hard to abate sectors, and a national green procurement strategy.
• Reform the Safeguard Mechanism to align with 1.5 degrees by tightening baselines and limiting offsets to hard-to-abate sectors only.
• Build a circular economy by banning single-use plastics, investing in recycling and reuse to help create secondary markets for recycled materials.

Getting to net-zero is only the beginning—we also need to undo the damage. 

The Greens have a plan to go beyond net-zero and start removing carbon pollution from the atmosphere, restore our forests, repair degraded land and invest in sustainable farming and food systems.

With targeted investment in carbon drawdown, nature repair, and climate-smart agriculture, we can turn Australia’s land and sea into powerful climate allies while creating thousands of sustainable jobs

The Greens' plan:

• Establish a National Centre for Climate Repair and set Australia on a path to net-negative emissions by drawing down carbon pollution through land use, ecosystem restoration and protecting the Antarctic.
• End native forest logging and invest in large-scale ecological restoration, sustainable jobs, and culturally informed fire management to restore biodiversity and cut emissions.
• Protect native forests by reforming environment laws to stop deforestation and protect critical habitat, with funding to support ecological restoration and a just transition for workers.
• Ensure 1% of the federal budget goes to nature restoration, to drive biodiversity recovery and protect at least 30% of land and seas by 2030.
• Support climate-smart farming with investments in on-farm renewable energy, storage, and knowledge-sharing to help farmers cut emissions and adapt to climate change.
• Back new climate-friendly food industries to future-proof Australia’s food system and create regional jobs.