Australian election 2019: What the manifestos say on energy and climate change

(CarbonBrief, 29 Apr 2019) Following its hottest summer on record, Australia will head to the polls on 18 May with climate set to be high on the agenda for many voters.

To understand the issues at stake, Carbon Brief has assessed and collated the various commitments to tackling climate change and improving the energy system being made by Australia’s major political parties.

Australian politics is dominated by the Coalition – an effectively permanent alliance of the centre-right Liberal and National parties – and the Labor party. Significant minority parties include the Australian Greens, as well as the nationalist Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party and the centrist Centre Alliance.

Climate and energy have been critical issues in Australian politics in recent years, helping to drive the rise and fall of several prime ministers. This importance is reflected in the manifestos of the major parties. Labor has pledged to significantly accelerate the nation’s shift towards renewables in a bid to meet far more ambitious emissions cuts than currently set out by Scott Morrison’s coalition government.

Meanwhile, the ruling Liberals and their coalition partners the Nationals, who traditionally represent the country’s rural voters, have emphasised their focus on reliable, affordable power for Australians.

Navigate the grid, above, to explore the main parties’ climate and energy plans. Hover over the entries to view the full text and use the drop-down menus at the top left of the grid to select specific topics. The entries in the grid are direct quotes taken from the manifesto webpages (Liberal, Labor, Nationals, Greens).

The summary below highlights the key issues being contested by the different parties, as well as analyses some of the most interesting pledges.

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CarbonBrief, 29 Apr 2019: Australian election 2019: What the manifestos say on energy and climate change