The mammoth task facing Australia’s rapid transformation towards net zero by 2050 has hit home this year, amid soaring electricity prices and concerns about whether the grid will be able to cope with the end of coal-fired power by 2035.

With energy executives warning there could be price hikes of 35 per cent next year, the pressure will be on the Albanese government to prove the task to decarbonise the economy won’t come at the cost of crippling households and businesses.