“Australians want new coal-fired power stations built to ensure they have access to reliable and affordable electricity as the Great Energy Crisis continues to engulf the nation,” said Daniel Wild, Deputy Executive Director of the Institute of Public Affairs.
A new poll commissioned by the Institute of Public Affairs, reinforces that a majority of Australians want practical and proven solutions to solve the Great Energy Crisis, and this includes building new coal-fired power stations.
The poll of 1,001 Australians undertaken for the IPA asked respondents whether they agree or disagree with the following statement: “Australia should build new coal-fired power stations to ensure families have reliable and affordable electricity all year round”:
- 55% Agree
- 23% Disagree
- 22% Neither agree nor disagree
“Australia’s Great Energy Crisis is a direct result of the elite’s policy of net zero emissions by 2050. The political class’s obsession with unreliable renewables continues to push reliable and affordable baseload power generation off the grid and makes us more vulnerable,” Mr Wild said.
More Australians agree than disagree across every age group than new coal-fired power stations should be built:
- 49% of those aged 18-24 agree, while 23% disagree.
- 62% of those aged 25-54 agree, while 17% disagree.
- 45% of those aged 55+ agree, while 35% disagree.
“We have all faced blackouts and energy rationing this winter and it will only get worse until Australia’s leaders face the cold hard truth that experimental renewables will never provide the energy we need to heat our homes and keep the lights on,” Mr Wild said.
The latest results follow a previous IPA survey that asked what Australians believed the focus of our nation’s energy policy should be – some 72% of respondents indicated that affordability or reliability should be the focus. Only 28% believed net zero was more important.
“Real Australians are growing increasingly uneasy with net zero as our energy crisis deepens and their power bills continue to skyrocket. That is why there needs to be a proper debate about how net zero is going to impact real Australians and their cost of living,” Mr Wild said.
“Both sides of politics need to put real Australians first and abandon their reckless net zero commitments and push to get more coal and gas into the energy market immediately.”
