If you give voters free solar batteries, they might keep you in power, Mr Albanese

As someone who has spent more than 20 years as a social researcher, I’ve never seen anything like it. Across the country, the one concern dominating people’s minds is clear: the cost of living. Whether you’re talking to parents or pensioners, teachers or tradies, it’s the same issue, dwarfing any other concerns. Nothing else even comes close.

It’s no surprise, then, that we’re heading towards a cost-of-living election. And, if you believe the polls, it’s going to be the closest election we’ve had in a while.

By expanding people’s access to cheap and reliable renewable energy, the Albanese government could put money back in the pockets of all Australians.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen, iStock

While Australians struggle with rising grocery prices, mortgage repayments, rent hikes and energy bills, all they’ve heard is politicians talking about policies that might sound good on paper, but they aren’t sure will ease the cost of living. Frankly, they are fed up.

In focus groups, I encounter retirees looking to return to work, couples discussing whether they can afford to start a family and well-paid couples without children still living modestly from paycheck to paycheck. As a man in regional NSW said to me a few weeks ago, “everything’s going up, and I’ve just got to grin and bear it”.

The public is receptive to real solutions, not small-target, incremental change. They don’t care if the government has to spend money to get there. Gone are the days when fears about “budget blowouts” dominated public discourse. Australians want the government to invest in their future, with public spending that will make a real material difference in their day-to-day lives.

What can they do? We need only to look at the countless polls, focus groups or conversations all of us have had to know that at the top of everyone’s wish-list is bringing down the cost of housing and energy. By massively expanding people’s access to cheap and reliable renewable energy, the Albanese government could help lower energy bills for good and put money back in the pockets of all Australians right now.

We’re already a world leader in rooftop solar, with more than 3.5 million homes enjoying the benefits.Credit: Bloomberg

It’s not just good economic policy – it’s popular. Recent research conducted by my firm found that overwhelmingly people believe that renewables could bring down their energy bills faster and more dramatically than anything else – including nuclear.

Voters want and expect government action to bring down power bills, and they’re smart enough to understand that rooftop solar, battery storage and grid upgrades are the fastest, most direct ways to relieve pressure. The technology is here. What’s missing is the conviction and ambition across the political spectrum to make it accessible to everyone and maximise the potential savings.

One big opportunity sitting before government is its self-stated aspiration to see Australia build 1 million new homes in the next five years. We’re already a world leader in rooftop solar – with more than 3.5 million homes enjoying the benefits – and generating more than 10 per cent of the nation’s electricity. The dividend on offer from hard-wiring clean energy solutions into every new build to come – recognising the different technological solutions needed across freestanding and high-density housing – would turbocharge gains for homeowners.

To lock in these gains, a government-sponsored, complementary home battery solution is also required. With feed-in tariffs for solar dropping to record lows, consider batteries as an insurance policy of sorts. With households enabled to store solar-generated electricity, they won’t be subject to the vagaries of the broader energy market, in which feed-in tariffs can drop by 30 per cent (to the detriment of households) and no one seems to blink an eye.

By not capturing this opportunity, millions of dollars in potential savings – and countless votes – are being left on the table. A report released by the Climate Council last week showed scaling up rooftop solar alone could cut $3 billion from our energy bills each year. That’s before you factor in capturing all that sun-driven energy for overnight use through batteries. Getting a nationwide solution right would go a long way to showing Australian voters that Canberra has their back and a real plan to tackle the cost of living.

I’ve provided a lot of advice for governments over the years, mostly in offices (and more recently over Zoom), but I want to shout this advice from the rooftops (which should be covered in solar panels). You’ve got the right policies, and they’re policies that can work. But you need to deliver real outcomes, not just talk about them.

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen was on the money recently when he said “the sun doesn’t send a bill”. Please, all decision-makers in Canberra – stop being afraid of spending money to make it happen.

Dr Rebecca Huntley is a leading social researcher and director of research at 89 Degrees East. She is the author of multiple books including How to Talk About Climate Change in a Way That Makes A Difference.