The 2025 Australian federal election has wrapped up, with voters making choices that could reshape the nation’s economic and social world. This year’s campaign was dominated by concerns over the rising cost of living, housing affordability, and the future direction of energy policy.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor Party, Peter Dutton’s Liberal-National Coalition, and the Greens each presented distinct approaches to these challenges. As housing divides generations and energy bills bite into household budgets, the election became a referendum on how best to secure Australia’s future prosperity and fairness.
Housing: The Defining Issue
Housing affordability was the campaign’s central theme, with experts highlighting the growing gap between generations. Many younger Australians have lost hope of owning a home, while older renters face insecurity as they approach retirement.
Labor’s Approach:
Labor proposed a bold, government-led intervention to address the crisis. Their plan includes a $43 billion investment to build 1.2 million homes over five years, with 100,000 reserved for first-home buyers. Investors would be excluded from these properties. The Help to Buy scheme would allow the government to take a 30-40% equity stake in homes for eligible buyers, reducing upfront costs.
Coalition’s Strategy:
The Coalition focused on market incentives and infrastructure. Their plan would allow first-home buyers to use up to $50,000 of their superannuation for a deposit and make mortgage interest payments tax-deductible for new builds. A $5 billion infrastructure fund aims to unlock 500,000 new homes, and migration would be cut by 25% to ease demand.
Greens’ Vision:
The Greens put forward the most radical changes, including winding back negative gearing and capital gains tax discounts for investors with multiple properties. They want a national rent freeze, a renters’ protection agency, and a government developer to build affordable homes.
Energy and Climate: Contrasting Futures
Energy policy revealed sharp differences between the parties.
Labor:
Labor committed to reaching 82% renewable energy in the electricity grid by 2030 and a 43% emissions reduction from 2005 levels. They promised $150 in energy bill relief for households and $2.3 billion to cut household battery costs by 30%.
Coalition:
The Coalition’s plan centers on building seven nuclear power plants and two small modular reactors over 25 years for a cost of $331 billion. They argue this approach is cheaper than Labor’s renewables plan and would keep coal and gas in the mix during the transition. Immediate relief would come from a 25-cent cut in fuel excise for a year and a new gas reservation scheme for the east coast.
Greens:
The Greens called for net-zero emissions by 2035, an end to new coal and gas projects, and a nationwide ban on native forest logging. They would remove fossil fuel subsidies and ramp up investment in renewables.
Health and Social Services
Health remained a key election battleground.
Labor:
Labor pledged $8.5 billion to improve bulk billing and train more GPs and nurses, plus $1 billion for mental health. They promised to open 50 new urgent care clinics and cap prescription medicine prices at $25.
Coalition:
The Coalition matched Labor’s commitments on bulk billing and women’s health, and proposed to double subsidized mental health sessions. They would fund these promises by reducing public service jobs.
Greens:
The Greens want to expand Medicare to cover dental and mental health, ensure free GP visits, and build 1,000 public healthcare clinics, funded by higher taxes on large corporations.
Tax and Economic Relief
Labor:
Labor’s tax plan would cut the lowest tax rate from 16% to 14% by 2027, saving taxpayers up to $538 a year. They also introduced a $1,000 workplace expense deduction without receipts.
Coalition:
The Coalition offered a one-off tax refund of up to $1,200 for middle-income earners and a year-long fuel excise cut. Their approach prioritizes immediate cost-of-living relief.
Greens:
The Greens proposed a 40% tax on the excess profits of big corporations and a 10% wealth tax on Australia’s billionaires.
Education
Labor:
Labor promised to cut 20% from all student loan debt, create 500,000 fee-free TAFE places, and provide full public school funding by 2034.
Coalition:
The Coalition wants universities to focus on core academic instruction, reinstate stricter student loan eligibility, and cap international student numbers.
Greens:
The Greens would fully fund public schools by 2025, create a capital grants fund for school infrastructure, and invest in classroom air quality.
The 2025 election offered Australians a choice between government investment and market-driven solutions, between rapid renewable transition and a nuclear-powered future, and between immediate relief and long-term reform. With cost-of-living and housing at the forefront, the policies chosen now will shape Australia’s direction for years to come.