Wake-up call on energy transition as voters switch off
Australians want to see power prices as the top priority for any energy reforms as the rising cost of living sparks a shift in the nation’s appetite for change.
Less than a year out from a federal election, an Ipsos Australia survey released on Monday shows the Albanese government is failing to convince many Australians on the renewable energy rollout.
Opposition is strongest amongst baby boomers and in outer regional areas, with the economic benefits less clear than the environmental gains.
Australians are questioning the impact of the energy transition on their household finances amid rising concerns about the cost of living, according to the research firm’s director of public affairs Stuart Clark.
Ensuring energy prices remain as low as possible and a reliable supply of energy to households and businesses were voters’ top two priorities.
Misinformation about climate change and renewable energy was highly believable and widely shared, the survey found.
More than two-thirds (68 per cent) believed transitioning to renewable energy would lead to an increase in household energy prices.
Some 58 per cent said electric vehicles were as bad for the planet as petrol cars.
Half of those surveyed believed building more solar and wind farms was taking away our best agricultural land and that offshore wind farms would harm whales.
While the majority (59 per cent) of people support Australia ending its reliance on fossil fuels and changing to renewable energy generation, most think the transition is not yet under way.
Less than two-thirds of voters were confident they understand the impact of climate change and half believed building more renewable energy generation would lead to more blackouts.
“Governments and businesses need to step into the vacuum currently filled with mis- and disinformation,” Mr Clark said.
“People need to understand the plans and the transition needs to feel real,” he said.
More than half (54 per cent) said they do not understand the actions being taken to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
Perceptions that Australia should be a world leader in emissions reduction have softened over the past two years and almost three-quarters (73 per cent) said other countries should be doing more to address climate change.
Australians also doubted the nation was on track to meet its 2030 emissions reductions targets, with 45 per cent saying it was “unlikely”.
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