Jennie George, a respected former ACTU president and Labor MP for Throsby, has issued a blistering critique of the Albanese government’s mismanaged energy transition.
Her words should resonate with every Australian family feeling the sting of rising bills and broken promises.
George's experience as a long-time Labor stalwart adds weight to her assessment, and she minces no words in her call for transparency and honesty on energy policy as the next election approaches.
George points out a simple but harsh truth: while Labor campaigned on lowering power bills and bringing stability to Australia's energy grid, the reality has been higher costs, increased debt, and rolling blackouts in places like Broken Hill.
Families struggling to make ends meet are now bearing the brunt of an energy policy that prioritises lofty climate targets over practical, affordable energy solutions.
Labor’s specific pledge to cut $275 from household power bills by 2025 has turned into an empty promise, replaced by a series of escalating costs that Australian taxpayers are left to bear.
In a column in The Australian this week, George exposes how the Albanese government’s rush to meet arbitrary emissions targets has led to hastily planned projects, like the failed renewable backup system in Broken Hill, which crumbled during an emergency and left the town in the dark.
This misstep serves as a warning of what happens when policy is driven by ideology rather than engineering and economic reality.
George calls out these failures as a betrayal of Australia’s once-strong position of energy advantage and an unnecessary sacrifice of the nation’s resources on unfeasible renewable projects that require heavy subsidies just to stay afloat.
She further warns of the “vanity project” of hosting a UN Climate Conference while Australia faces a cost-of-living crisis.
For families struggling to keep up with mortgage payments and soaring energy bills, this is a glaring example of the Albanese government’s misplaced priorities.
Instead of focusing on practical solutions to reduce energy costs, the government appears more invested in international climate posturing, with no clear plan to provide affordable baseload power for Australians.
Family First echoes Jennie George’s call for energy honesty. Albanese’s energy transition isn’t just misguided – it’s costing families their hard-earned dollars in service of a political agenda that has little to do with their everyday struggles.