Opposition spending cuts would save $31 billion over four years, according to a partial costings update released by the Coalition. The package, costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office, targets climate initiatives, housing schemes and welfare for permanent residents. Opposition Leader Angus Taylor described the savings as a down payment for tax cuts. The update leaves out the cost of migration cuts and the scrapping of Labor's tax changes. Treasurer Jim Chalmers rejected claims that government spending is driving inflation, ahead of a Reserve Bank meeting next week.
The Coalition says it would pay for its proposed income tax cuts by scrapping $31bn worth of Labor policies. Opposition Leader Angus Taylor released costings for the Tax Back Guarantee, which ties income tax brackets to inflation. Typical workers would receive $250 in the first year, rising to $1,000 in the fourth year. The plan targets climate programs, including the Net Zero Economy Agency and electric vehicle concessions, and Build to Rent tax breaks.
APA Group chief executive Adam Watson has defended the company's future gas projects, saying people would starve without natural gas used in food production. At the company's Sydney annual meeting, activist shareholders questioned the viability of new gas projects. A resolution backed by more than 115 shareholders demanded transparency on these projects as climate goals affect demand. Market Forces criticised the planned North to East Australia Pipeline, which would carry gas from the Beetaloo Basin. The Australian Institute backed a 25 per cent tax on gas exports, which Mr Watson rejected.
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Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he will not abandon the responsibility of fighting the climate crisis, despite the government approving the Jackdaw gasfield. He pledged to block new North Sea licences and keep Britain on track for net zero by 2050. Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said she alone will decide whether to approve the Rosebank oilfield, a decision sources say she is minded to block. Fahnbulleh also said she was sad about the breakdown of cross-party consensus on climate action. Burnham also announced that military aircraft would fight wildfires for the first time.
Germany planned to double its data centre capacity by 2030 to boost AI access and its economy. However, a 2023 law requiring new data centres to reuse waste heat clashed with that goal. In June, the government amended the rules, so operators must only assess whether heat reuse is feasible. Developers had argued the original requirements were impossible to meet, and several projects have since collapsed. Critics say climate targets have been sacrificed, and public unease about data centres is growing across Europe.
Resources Minister Madeleine King is facing calls to correct her claim that all emissions from the Beetaloo gas basin in the Northern Territory will be offset. Speaking at the National Press Club, King said she would have to check whether the emissions were offset. The NT government does not require offsets, and the federal safeguard mechanism covers only direct facility pollution. Researcher Tim Baxter found about 95% of expected emissions from four projects this decade would not have to be offset. King's office said all 135 Pepper inquiry recommendations had been implemented.
Professor Christopher Wright argues that the fossil fuel industry has strongly shaped Australia's climate and energy policies. He says lobbying, networking and political donations have blocked serious moves to cut carbon emissions. Fossil fuel corporations donated close to $4 million to major parties in 2024-25. Wright describes a revolving door between industry and government, and says the industry promotes coal and gas as central to the nation's future. He argues that new coal and gas projects continue to be approved.
The Coalition will introduce a bill to strip back mandatory emissions reporting for businesses, arguing the rules are too costly. Deputy opposition leader Jane Hume says the requirements are hurting family-run companies. The government's regime already requires large companies to disclose emissions from electricity, and is set to extend to supply chains next financial year. Treasury estimates the extension could cost about $245,000 per entity in the first year. Environmental groups have backed the change, while Hume also wants to scrap reporting for businesses with revenue between $50 million and $200 million.
Kemi Badenoch has made scrapping the future homes standard a central part of her bid to become prime minister, the Conservative party conference heard. Campaigners and experts warn that new homes built without solar panels, heat pumps and high-grade insulation could mean higher household bills for decades. The UK Green Building Council says the housebuilding industry has prepared for the standard and that reversing course would slow progress. The Green party has also dropped its opposition to nuclear power, while Labour has announced a publicly owned body to invest in the energy grid.
