So what has Labor delivered in the last 3 years (2022 - 2025)?
More renewable electricity, fewer emissions
Labor has approved over 60 large scale renewable electricity projects in 2 years - enough to power 7 million homes. The share of electricity from renewables in the National Electricity Market has gone from an average of around 30% at the end of 2022 to over 40% now, with more days of 100% renewables in the middle of the day.
Labor is upgrading the electricity grid and transmission across the country to deliver reliable renewable energy.
Storage capacity to ensure reliable 24/7 power
An electricity grid built on renewable energy needs storage as well as transmission to ensure reliability. Labor governments at all levels have delivered and will keep delivering large scale and community batteries, as well as helping households and businesses to install their own batteries.
Australia’s first offshore wind
Offshore wind will ensure large amounts of power are available nearly all the time. An offshore wind turbine produces as much energy in one minute as 15 houses with solar panels do in a day. Offshore wind near industrial centres will provide plenty of reliable, clean energy and create hundreds of jobs, both in maintaining the wind turbines and in the industries that use the energy.
Energy efficiency for homes and businesses
Labor is easing the cost of living without adding to inflation with more than $1.6 billion for energy saving upgrades for homes, businesses and social housing. This investment will help people with older homes and appliances to upgrade and keep money from leaking out the door.
Solar for renters and apartments
Federal Labor, in partnership with state and territory governments, is investing $100 million into Community Solar Banks to share the benefits of lower cost renewable energy with more than 25,000 households who are unable to install their own household solar system. This will particularly benefit renters, apartment dwellers and residents of social and public housing.
Lower transport emissions, cheaper electric cars
Labor’s EV discount scheme and Fuel Efficiency Standards are already giving Australians more choice and lower cost EVs. Labor has increased EV chargers on highways so EV drivers can be confident of reaching their destinations.
A clean energy future, made in Australia with Australian skills
Labor has committed $22.7 billion to become a renewable energy superpower by backing Australian skills and innovation to make clean energy exports in Australia. Labor is investing $91 million over 5 years in skills training and upgrading facilities to produce the skilled, secure clean energy workforce of the future.
Labor is betting big on Australia being a leader in clean energy exports to replace fossil fuel exports. Labor is not just building up investment in clean energy industries, but also actively working with trading partners to create markets to replace supply chains based on fossil fuels with those based on clean energy. Good for jobs, good for industry and good for the planet.
The Net Zero Authority will ensure a smooth transition for fossil fuel workers and communities so everyone can share in the benefits of climate action.
Lower industrial emissions
Labor’s revamped Safeguard Mechanism will make Australia’s biggest emitters reduce their emissions and stay within a fixed carbon budget. By 2030 this will deliver the same emissions reduction as taking two thirds of cars off the road.
Budgets for a net zero future
Labor’s federal budgets have turned decisively towards a clean energy future by investing in developing clean industries such as critical minerals, renewable hydrogen and clean energy manufacturing and no direct subsidies for fossil fuels.
Labor’s only remaining ‘fossil fuel subsidy’ is the diesel fuel rebate, which mostly goes to farmers and which will shrink over time as transport is electrified.
Protection of the Murray-Darling Basin
Labor’s Murray-Darling Basin Plan will guarantee water for the environment, with water-saving infrastructure and purchases from willing sellers.
Restoring urban waterways
$200 million investment to transform concrete drains into natural creeks with plants and animals.
Protection of water resources from fracking projects
Labor has expanded the water trigger under the national environment laws to ensure that any coal or gas project that significantly affects the water table will be considered by the federal government.
Protection of the Great Barrier Reef and our marine parks
Labor has invested a record $1.2 billion in protection of the Great Barrier Reef with water quality improvements to manage run-off. Labor rejected a coal mine for the first time in Australian history due to its impacts on the Reef, and has refused to fund dams that could affect water quality.
Labor has doubled funding for Barrier Reef science and engaged more Indigenous Rangers to care for sea country.
Labor tripled the size of Macquarie Island Marine Park, the biggest act of environmental conservation anywhere in the world in 2023.
Quadrupled the size of Heard and McDonald Islands Marine Park, the biggest act of ocean conservation on the planet in 2024.
Signed an international treaty to better protect oceans.
More funding for National Parks and Indigenous rangers
Labor has committed an additional $260 million in funding for National Parks over the next four years. Labor is funding a strategy to double the number of Indigenous rangers by 2030.
Indigenous Protection Areas
Labor expanded our world-leading Indigenous Protected Areas with a $230 million investment and by establishing 12 new IPAs that cover an area bigger than Tasmania.
Protection of Toondah Harbour
After nearly a decade of Coalition delays, Labor finally rejected the Toondah Harbour development project because of unacceptable impacts on an internationally significant wetland.
Expansion of Kakadu National Park to protect Jabiluka
Labor has listened to the Mirrar people, the traditional custodians of Jabiluka and ensured it will never be mined for uranium.
World heritage listing
Labor has applied for World Heritage listing for more of Australia’s most special natural treasures such as Cape York, the Flinders Ranges and Murujuga in WA. It's the first step.
Antarctica
Labor invested nearly $1.5 billion in our Antarctic program. - fighting to protect an extra billion hectares of ocean around Antarctica.
Investment in timber plantations
After ten years of neglect by the Coalition, Labor is investing in 12 new timber plantations across the country to secure supply for housing and to provide certainty to the forestry industry into the future.
Crackdowns on feral animals and invasive species
Labor is investing $60 million in groundbreaking projects to humanely eradicate feral cats to protect land, farms and native wildlife around the country. Labor is investing in invasive species management to protect Kosciuszko National Park from feral horses and pigs, and to control species such as cane toads and fire ants.
Crackdowns on illegal wildlife trade
Labor is strengthening monitoring and enforcement, and raising the penalties for illegal native wildlife trade, making life harder for organised crime.
Bans on toxic chemicals
Last year Labor listed nine new toxic chemical groups including PFAS on the Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management Standard, which will ban or severely restrict the import, use and manufacture of these ‘forever chemicals' in Australia.
The beginnings of a circular economy
Labor wants to move to a circular economy, by ensuring more efficient use of materials, better materials like compostable bioplastics, design standards that maximise re-use and recovery, and recycling only as a last resort.