CSIRO concedes net zero means higher prices
The CSIRO’s annual GenCost report has been the bulwark of claims that energy generated from wind and solar are the cheapest from of energy in the electricity network.
However, IPA analysis of the CSIRO’s 2026 GenCost report finds that achieving a net zero emissions target could cost between 5 and 39 per cent more than abandoning net zero.
Figure: Projected system levelised cost of electricity by 2050 (per MWh) under select scenarios
This analysis follow previous IPA analysis showing that the prevailing methodology of the CSIRO, the Levelised Cost of Electricity, is flawed (see the IPA’s 2024 report here).
Now the CSIRO has introduced a complementary measure, the System Levelised Cost of Electricity, which better captures the wider system costs of the drive towards a net zero future. And it observed, in its own words: “There is a clear trend that decreasing emissions increases 2050 electricity costs”.
This analysis is available at the IPA website here.
Record number of Victorian construction firms go bust
New IPA analysis of ASIC data has revealed a record 120 Victorian construction businesses became insolvent in June 2026 alone.
In a further sign of Victoria’s economic malaise, ASIC’s insolvency data showed nearly 1,000 construction companies went into insolvency in the 12 months to June 2026.
Figure: Projected system levelised cost of electricity by 2050 (per MWh) under select scenarios
The record number of construction companies going bust coincides with the latest ABS unemployment figure of 5.1 per cent for Victoria – the highest of all Australian states.
This analysis is available at the IPA website here.
Shadow of Digital Duty of Care looms large
The IPA has raised serious concerns about a proposal to expand the powers of the eSafety Commissioner to investigate and enforce Australia’s under-16 social media ban.
In a submission to the Senate inquiry into the Online Safety Amendment (Strengthening Enforcement for the Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2026, the IPA argued that the provisions of the bill are far-reaching and should be abandoned.
The combined effect of the proposal to increase enforcement powers and double penalties risks incentivising overcompliance, where platforms err on the side of excluding lawful users, presenting a threat to freedom of speech online.
Specifically, the IPA’s analysis of the bill found:
- The bill would empower eSafety to engage in fishing expeditions to enforce the ban.
- The bill would empower eSafety to target individual users.
- The bill foreshadows the dangers of the federal government’s “digital duty of care”.
The bill reveals that the government is prepared to grant wide and coercive powers to enforce novel regulations of the internet.
This sheds light on its proposal to impose “overarching” duties on online platforms to “provide a safe environment” by taking steps to “manage risks of serious harm”.
The full submission to the House Standing Committee on Education is available at the IPA website here.
IPA Review: “Killing with kindness”
The Winter edition of the IPA’s flagship quarterly publication, the IPA Review, has just been released, covering a wide array of political, cultural, and policy issues.
Dealing with corruption in Victoria’s building and construction sector is a critical issue. And so, it is timely that we hear from the inaugural Australian Building and Construction Commissioner, John Lloyd, who details the state of Australia’s industrial relations system – and the government inaction which has allowed lawlessness and corruption to permeate the construction sector. The strong influence of criminal elements in the construction industry is a particularly disturbing development.
You can read John Lloyd’s article, “Killing with kindness”, and other articles from the IPA Review, at the IPA website here.
