Australia's Energy Future survey results - We want to do our bit but we won’t be sacrificed when energy ideology is hurting us.

Australia's Energy Future survey results are pouring in - We want to do our bit but we won't be sacrificed when energy ideology is hurting us.

The people of Lindsay are proud everyday Australians. We love our country and care about our environment - from the Nepean River to the bushland on the urban fringe that frames our suburbs. We’ve embraced solar. We conserve energy. We want a future our kids can thrive in. 
 
But we will not have our way of life sacrificed to such a level where people can barely keep a roof over their heads in the name of energy ideology. This has been made clear in a survey I put out to my community over the last month through emails, social media and into every resident’s letterbox.
 
As of today, I have received over 1,200 responses from locals, and the surveys that hit letterboxes just last week are pouring into my office in the hundreds per day.
 
I made a commitment to my community that I wouldn’t take a stand on net zero until I heard directly from them. There is nothing more important for a Member of Parliament to do than listen to their community and be their strongest voice in the public sphere. I have listened, and on Australia’s energy future, my community’s views are very clear:

• 65% of people who responded do not support net zero by 2050.
• When asked if they support net zero “at any cost,” that number jumped to 87% who do not support net zero.
• 68% of people oppose Labor’s 2035 emissions reduction target.

When given the opportunity to provide comments, people said “this is going to economically destroy this country. We only produce under 1% of global emissions,” and “Australia’s contribution is very small, and we are killing our economy for nothing. Manufacturers are closing and moving overseas,” plus “no one who supports net zero is brave enough to tell people that their standard of living would have to drop,” and “we will never get to net zero and Australia is suffering.”
 
This isn’t politics. It’s the real-life struggles of everyday Australians who don’t want a target that is destroying them and their families financially, and our country economically. These are everyday Australians who are not being listened to by the Albanese Labor Government, but they certainly are being listened to by me as their local MP.
 
A shocking 89% of people said their energy bills have increased. It is concerning that when respondents were asked how much their energy bills had increased by, many people commented “50%,” and “hundreds of dollars,” and that they had “at least doubled.”
 
Again, 89% say higher energy bills have impacted their standard of living. People are skipping meals to pay for power, and they’re afraid to turn on the heater and air conditioner. They are doing everything right - installing solar, cutting back their energy use - and still falling behind.
 
Only 4% of people who responded to my survey said emissions targets were the most important issue for Australia’s energy future. The majority at 52% said affordable energy was their top priority, which is hardly surprising when they are paying $1,000 more on their energy bills than what Labor promised they would be. Another 33% said reliable, 24/7 power supply mattered most.
 
The people of Lindsay aren’t anti-environment. They are pro-reality, and they are a community that thinks for itself on the issues that matter. They are open to nuclear power, with 73% of survey respondents supporting the ban being lifted. Recurring comments from respondents were that “we have another great natural resource that we are not using” and “Australia should be a leading nation with nuclear energy with our locally sourced uranium.”
 
People in my community want Australia prioritised when it comes to the gas, coal, and uranium we produce. This is backed by 94% of respondents who agree with putting our nation first, before shipping these resources offshore. And while solar uptake is strong at just under 50% of respondents, only 14% of solar households have battery storage. Why? Cost and safety concerns. People want to invest in solar and batteries to bring down their power prices. Respondents said, “batteries are too expensive at the moment,” and “we can’t afford a battery that is safe.”
 
What I’ve heard through my survey is clear - the Albanese Labor Government’s renewables-only approach, with a 2035 emissions reduction target and net zero by 2050 are hurting families. These policies are driving up prices, destabilising supply, and ignoring the voices of everyday Australians. The people of Lindsay, our everyday Australians, are speaking up.
 
I will carry their message to Canberra. We’re doing our bit. But we won’t be punished for a target that is destroying people’s living standards, harming our economy and decimating local industry.

For locals who still want to respond to my Energy Future Survey, you can complete it here.