Coalition rules out putting dollar figure on how much Aussies will save on power bills with plan to put more gas into the market

The Coalition has ruled out putting a dollar figure on how much Australians will save on electricity under its new plan, saying it won’t fall into the same trap as Labor.

The Coalition will not put a dollar figure on how much Australian households and businesses will save on electricity under its plan to create a domestic gas reservation scheme for the east coast.

Despite saying modelling behind the policy, which the Coalition has claimed would boost gas supply to Queensland, NSW, Victoria and South Australia, would be released this election campaign, Opposition energy and climate change spokesman Ted O’Brien has ruled out giving Australians information about any specific saving they could expect.

Mr O’Brien said on Sunday the opposition would “not be doing what Labor did,” referencing the Albanese Government’s failed 2022 promise to lower the average power bill by $275 within three years.

“We are not going to be making a promise like Labor did, which ended up being not just a false promise, but a deliberate lie,” he told Sky News.

Asked if the Coalition would give even a percentage range on the cost saving promised, Mr O’Brien said there wouldn’t be any figure given.

Mr O’Brien also refused to say if the promised electricity saving, which Opposition leader Peter Dutton said would be felt by Australians by the end of this year, would be higher or lower than $275, or even if it would be as little as five per cent of their bill.

He said “full modelling” of the gas policy would be released “through the course of the campaign”.

Ted O'Brien would not put a dollar figure out when asked on Sky. Picture: Sky News Australia

His comments come as as research shows more than eight in ten people are cutting power use to manage costs and believe energy companies make too much profit.

Peter Dutton came under pressure on the first full day of the campaign in Brisbane on Saturday when he insisted he would leave the analysis of what Australians could save on electricity under his gas policy to other “experts” before acknowledging the Coalition did have costings that would be released in the future.

The Opposition said Frontier Economics had done some “work” modelling the policy that “does provide some indication” of the impact of the Coalition’s plan to reserve extra gas to boost Australia’s domestic supply by 10 to 20 per cent on electricity prices.

“But I’m not going into this election, as the Prime Minister did in the last election, promising that electricity prices have come down by $275 because, as the Prime Minister did before the last election, it wasn’t something that he’s been able to deliver on,” he said.

“Now for me, I want to deliver on a tangible outcome, and the best way that we can do that is to reduce the price of gas.”

Leader of the Liberal party Peter Dutton visits Eastons Hotel in Eatons Hill, on the campaign trail for the 2025 federal election. Picture Thomas Lisson/NewsWire

Energy is a major issue of the 2025 campaign, with a new survey showing a majority of Australians are cutting back on usage to try and save money, while 74 per cent the big energy companies are making “too much profit,” according to a survey of more than 5,000 Australians in January and February by News Corp’s Growth Intelligence Centre as part of the Lighthouse Consumer Sentiment Tracker.

When it came to reaching net zero by 2050, a target Mr Dutton reiterated his support for when promoting his gas plan as a pathway toward it, only a third of respondents said they thought it was achievable.

Peter Dutton visits the XXXX beer brewery in Brisbane with Liberal national candidate Maggie Forrest on the campaign trail. Picture Thomas Lisson/NewsWire

About 44 per cent of voters agreed nuclear power should be considered part of Australia’s energy mix, compared to 29 per cent who were unsure and 27 who opposed the energy source.

The survey also found education and increased school funding was a top concern for 57 per cent of Australians this election, while capping migration was a priority for half of people surveyed and tackling energy and climate issues was important for 49 per cent.

Labor voters in particular are invested in education, while migration caps were labelled as “critical or important” in swaying Coalition voters’ opinion this election.

Nationally increasing regulation of social media to combat misinformation and online harm was a major concern for about 50 per cent of voters.

Mr Dutton said major energy consumers like steel manufacturer BlueScope had welcomed his has reservation strategy, insisting it would effectively lower prices across major industry and domestic uses.

“I want to make sure with our east coast gas reservation, we can bring down the price of gas, not just for consumers, but because it’s a big part of business and manufacturing and the production of electricity as well, we can have an economy wide benefit,” he said.

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said Mr Dutton was given nine chances in his press conference to come clean about the details of his energy policy, but failed to do so.

“He knows his energy policies don’t stack up and will actually force up prices,” he said.

Originally published as Coalition rules out putting dollar figure on how much Aussies will save on power bills with plan to put more gas into the market