Sticking with energy prices, Australia Institute research has shown that Australia is subsidising fossil fuels to the tune of $15 billion per year. That might sound like a lot, but this election the Coalition says ‘hold my beer’.

The Coalition’s nuclear plan will take decades to get up and running (if it ever does). This means they will need to run Australia’s old fleet of coal fired power stations for longer. That means burning a lot more coal, and it won’t come cheap. A recent agreement between Origin Energy and the NSW Government could cost as much as $450 million to keep the Eraring Power Station open for just an extra 2 years. The Coalition will need to enter into many more of these kinds of deals to try and keep the coal fired fleet running well into the 2040s.

The Coalition’s gas policy has a ‘drill baby drill’ vibe to it. They’re keen to approve as many new gas fields as possible and pump out as much gas as they can.

It’s not just gas and coal getting lots of love, petrol and diesel are also in the frame. The centrepiece of the Coalition’s election pitch is the slashing of fuel excise. This will not only encourage the use of petrol and diesel, but it will also discourage low emissions alternatives.

This must be one of the biggest pitches to fossil fuels by a major party in recent history. This will rapidly expand fossil fuel subsidies and make it even harder for Australia to reduce its emissions.