Ahead of the Council of Australian Governments Energy Council meeting this week, representatives of Australia’s small and large businesses; conservation groups; energy network, supply and services sectors; investors; property sector; and social services sector have together agreed that driving down electricity costs is urgent, and that addressing emissions and reliability are not only critical in their own right but are essential parts of achieving cost reduction.

Electricity costs are a key part of the “energy trilemma”, together with reliability and emissions reductions. Reducing electricity costs requires investment in electricity supply and unlocking this investment requires credible and stable policy. Investors will only view policy as durable if it effectively addresses all parts of the trilemma, including meeting emissions reduction commitments.

We support Australia’s full participation in the Paris Agreement and deployment of effective, efficient and equitable plans in energy and the rest of the economy to deliver on Australia’s Paris commitments. Continuing bipartisan commitment to Paris sends a clear long-term signal to investors and contributes to the global solution needed to minimise climate change. A major global transition towards lower emissions and ultimately net zero emissions is both necessary and inevitable, and in Australia’s electricity sector a low emissions transition is already underway.