Australia Votes 2025: The Parties & Their Policies
With an election around the corner, Hub has organised a guide outlining each of the main parties’ election promises that matter to you.
Cost of Living + the Economy
The phrase ‘It’s the economy, stupid’ is a quip made famous by Clinton strategist James Carville, and it couldn’t be any more relevant – with voters consistently placing cost-of-living as their top issue. Inflation in Australia (known as the Consumer Price Index) peaked at 7.8 per cent in December 2022, the highest levels recorded since the 1990s. This was driven by the post-COVID supply chain disruptions, strong consumer demand and Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. This has since led to large price increases in goods, placing pain in the pockets of millions of voters across Australia. Here are the policies being advocated by the parties to help:
Labor:
To address the increased cost-of-living, Labor is proposing policies aimed at providing relief in the present moment for Australians, including another round of tax cuts, further energy bill relief and continuing its future made in Australia agenda of encouraging a next generation of green manufacturing in Australia. Labor’s main economic policies include:
Energy Bill Relief: Extend $150 energy bill rebates for all households and one million businesses in 2025 to address rising energy costs.
Tax Cuts: A worker who earns an average of $100,000 per year, will receive a tax cut of up to $268 in 2026-27, and $536 in 2027-28. This will be on top of the current legislated tax cut of up to $2,179.
Wage Support: Ban non-compete clauses for workers earning under $175,000 to improve wage mobility and job-switching opportunities.
Cut Student Debt: Up to 20 per cent of every person’s student debt will be wiped.
Support Buy Australian: Invest $20 million into a campaign to support Australian producers by advocating for people to buy Australian made goods.
Price Gouging: Establish a taskforce to advice government on introducing price gouging regime for supermarkets, with the possibility of heavy fines.
The Coalition:
To address the increased cost-of-living, the Coalition is proposing policies aimed at re-balancing supply in Australia to curb the growth of demand within Australian markets (such as the price of energy). Signature policies include tax incentives, small business relief and cuts on government spending.
Tax Incentives: A one-off tax refund of up to $1,200 for low- and middle- income earners (under $144,000) in 2025-26.
Reducing Cost of Fuel: On the first day of office, the Coalition will halve the fuel tax for Australian motorists by 25 cents per litre, which it expects will save a household with two cars at least $1,500 per year.
Streamline major project approval: Establish ‘Investment Australia’, a government agency that will streamline approval for major projects to ‘restore’ Australia’s global competitiveness.
Regional Australia Fund: Commit $20 billion towards constructing roads, health facilities and childcare centres in regional communities.
Supermarket Divestiture: Introduce laws that would give the Commonwealth the power to force supermarkets to sell off stores if found price gouging goods to increase domestic competition and reduce monopoly powers.
The Greens:
To address increased cost-of-living, the Greens are proposing policies aimed at restricting the economic influencer of major economic actors.
Introduce a tax on major corporations and billionaires: Introduce a 40 per cent tax on excess profits for big corporations with over $100 million in turnover, alongside a 10 per cent tax on net wealth of Australian billionaires prevent ‘big oil and gas companies’ from exploiting taxation loopholes.
Cost-of-living Relief: Introduce laws to break up the supermarket ‘duopoly’, alongside capping rent increases, introducing 50 cent public transport fares and raising the Centrelink and pension payments.
Abolish Student Debt: Wipe all student debt and re-introduce the universal tertiary education system.
One Nation:
To address increased cost-of-living, One Nation are proposing policies aimed at encouraging traditional economic pathways:
Joint-Family Tax Reform: Introduce a Joint-Family Tax to allow couples with at least one dependent child to add their incomes together, then split the total taxable income between them. A couple with a joint income of over $120,000 would save $9533 per year.
National Apprentice Scheme Wage Increase: Increase the National Apprentice Scheme wage to give first years a 75 per cent increase, followed by a 50 per cent increase the year later, and a 25 per cent increase the year following.
Housing Crisis
Housing has been rated by voters as one of their highest priorities this election cycle. For context, the medium sale price in Metropolitan Adelaide is $847,000 (March 2025) which is 16.4 per cent lower than the national medium sale price of $1,014,019 (April 2025). Experts believe the cause of this high price is due to insufficient housing supply, high population demand and tax incentives which boost the demand of housing over current supply. These are the policies being advocated by the parties:
Labor:
To address the housing crisis, Labor is proposing policies aimed at expanding the supply of housing in Australia to reduce the growth of house prices.
Deliver 100,000 homes for first home buyers: Invest $10 billion to build up to 100,000 homes reserved only for first home buyers, with no competition from property investors. This funding will also go to support enabling infrastructure, land purchases and housing construction.
Reduce the Required Housing Deposit: Expand the Home Guarantee Scheme further for all Australians by reducing the deposit cap to buy eligible properties to 5 per cent.
Rent Assistance: Increase the Commonwealth Rent Assistance by 15 per cent to support renters.
Foreign Ownership Ban: Prohibit foreign investors from purchasing existing residential properties for two years to reduce competition and ease price pressures.
The Coalition:
To address the housing crisis, The Coalition are proposing policies aimed to expand both supply of housing and allow Australians to pay less on mortgage debt.
Infrastructure Fund for Housing: Establish a $5 billion fund to provide water, power and sewage infrastructure to ‘unlock’ 500,000 new homes by addressing supply bottlenecks.
Foreign Ownership Ban: Prohibit foreign investors from purchasing existing residential properties for two years to reduce competition and ease price pressures.
Mortgage Interest Deduction: Allow first home buyers to deduct mortgage interest on loans up to $650,000 from taxable income.
Access Superannuation: Permit first home buyers to use up to $50,000 of their superannuation for home deposits, but this amount would have to be paid back if the house is sold for retirement.
The Greens:
To address the housing crisis, the Greens are proposing policies aimed at expanding renters’ rights, expanding public housing over private housing construction and ending tax incentives that boost demand for houses.
Rent Freezes and Regulation: Implement a two-year national rent freeze, followed by permanent rent caps tied to inflation or wage growth, establish a national renters’ protection agency to support Tennant’s rights.
Public Housing Development: Establish a government owned developer to build ‘affordable’ homes for sale or rent at below-market rates that prioritise low- income and first-time buyers.
End Tax Incentives: Abolish negative gearing and capital gains tax discounts for investors owning multiple properties to rescue speculative demand.
One Nation:
One Nation lacks policies addressing the housing crisis, advocating that it will instead restrict immigration to reduce the pressure on housing.
Public Safety
Public safety has been a rising issue amongst voters, particularly in the Northern Territory and Queensland. These are the policies being advocated by the parties:
Labor:
To address public safety, Labor is proposing policies aimed cracking down on domestic violence, boosting mental health and supporting disaster preparedness.
Domestic Violence Initiatives: Invest $8.6 million in preventing financial abuse and violence, including allowing electronic monitoring and ankle bracelets for high-risk perpetrators.
Disaster Preparedness: Commit $200 million annually for disaster preparedness and resilience through the National Climate Risk Assessment and Adaption Plan.
The Coalition:
To address public safety, The Coalition are proposing policies aimed at cracking down on domestic violence, expanding child safety and cracking down on illegal activity.
Domestic Violence Initiatives: Establish a National Domestic Violence Register to share offender information among Commonwealth and State police agencies. Create new laws to criminalise using mobile phone or networks to cause fear in intimate partners. Allocate $90mil for women’s and family safety.
Child Safety: Pilot a National Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme allowing parents to check if individuals interacting with their children have convictions.
Drug and Crime Crackdown: Invest $355 million in state police ‘strike teams’ to target illicit drug importation, including date-rape drugs and enhance border detection. Grant police ‘stop and search’ powers using detector wands and restrict knife sales to minors and ‘dangerous individuals’.
Construction Industry Oversight: Re-establish the Australian Building and Construction Commission to oversee construction industry unions and de-register the CFMEU.
Antisemitism Crackdown: Implement a federal police-led taskforce to address antisemitism.
The Greens:
To address public safety, The Greens are proposing policies aimed at supporting communities experiencing the effects of climate change, safeguarding asylum seekers and prioritising no direct crime policies.
Climate Response Service: Propose a National Climate Response Service to deploy thousands of fires, flood and cyclone preparedness, enhancing community safety against climate-driven disasters.
Workplace Safety: Establish a Workplace Racial Equality Agency to combat workplace racism.
Asylum Seeker Safety: End offshore detention and hold a Royal Commission into asylum policies to address human rights abuses.
One Nation:
One Nation lacks policies addressing public safety, but advocate for stronger ‘law and order’ in government agenda.
Public Health
Voters rate public health, especially in relation to the bulk billing rate for Medicare services, as one of their priorities this election cycle. For context, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Coalition implemented policies to artificially boost bulk billing to a high of 88.8 per cent, but since end of these policies the rate has fallen to 77.3 per cent in 2024. These are the policies being advocated by the parties:
Labor:
To address public health, Labor is proposing policies aimed at strengthening Medicare, reducing the costs of medication and expanding pathways into the medical workforce.
Medicare Expansion: Invest $8.5 billion to boost Medicare bulk-billing rates, increase urgent care clinics to 87 nationwide, and reduce out-of-pocket costs for GP visits. Create a 24/7 telehealth service covered under Medicare.
Medicine Cost Reduction: Lower the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medicine costs to $25, with a $1 billion plan to ensure affordable access to essential drugs.
Workforce Development: Provide 3,000 new nursing and allied health scholarships and 1,000 new medical places to address healthcare worker shortages.
Mental Health and Youth Safety: Allocate $1 billion for mental health, including $500mil for 20 youth specialist centres and $200mil for 58 new or expanded Headspace centres.
The Coalition:
To address public health, the Coalition is proposing policies aimed at targeting specific health issues, expanding healthcare access and supporting Indigenous health.
Mental Health Support: Commit $1.5 billion for mental health, including $500 million for 30 new headspace centres, $200 million for Telehealth psychiatry, and $100 million for school-based mental health programs. Establish a National Suicide Prevention Office.
Healthcare Access: Expand after-hours GP services with a $200 million investment to reduce emergency department pressures. Increase funding for telehealth in rural areas.
Preventative Health: Invest $50 million in national lung cancer screening programs and $30 million for breast cancer early detection for high-risk groups.
Indigenous Health: Allocate $150 million to improve indigenous healthcare access, focusing on closing the gap, targeting maternal and child health programs.
The Greens:
To address public health, The Greens are proposing policies that expand Medicare to cover dental, mental and ADHD health and expanding healthcare access to Australians.
Medicare for All: Expand Medicare to cover dental care, mental health, and ADHD diagnosis and treatment for all Australian.
Free Healthcare Services: Provide free GP visits, hospital care, and prescriptions for all, removing out-of-pocket costs to ensure universal access.
Preventative and Social Health: Invest $5 million in a Green Education Infrastructure Fund to include health education programs in schools, promoting preventative health.
One Nation:
To address public health, One Nation is proposing policies that advocate for greater healthcare in rural areas, reducing healthcare bureaucracy, and questioning the conventional healthcare practices.
Healthcare Access in Regions: Advocate improved healthcare services in regional and rural areas, emphasising local hospital and GP access.
Anti-Mandate Stance: Oppose public health mandates and distrust in centralised health policies, but no clear policy.
Restrict Abortion Access: Restore the gestational limit for abortions. Ban sex-selective abortions and allow doctors to refuse and abortion on conscience grounds.
Immigration + Defence
Immigration and defence have become increasingly topic issues in Australia. Since the election of Labor, nearly 1.5 million people have arrived in Australia, this is the highest ever arrival number in Australia (not proportional to the 1960s), which has prompted backlash over supply concerns. Australia’s defence position has also become incredibly precarious, with multiple conflicts, and the threat of a war between China and the United States over Taiwan (which could drag in regional neighbours such as Australia) ranked by experts increasingly likely over the next four years. Both the major parties have promised to buy back the Port of Darwin. These are the policies being advocated by the parties:
Labor:
To address immigration and defence, Labor is proposing polices aimed at balancing migration with skills, upholding border security arrangements and advancing defence partnerships.
Humanitarian Intake: Commit to 20,00 refugees annually, emphasising family reunification and regional resettlement.
Border Security: Upholding the continuation of Operation Sovereign Borders.
Military Funding Increase: Commit to raising annual defence spending from $59 billion in 2025 to $79 billion by 2029-2030, focusing on capability modernisation.
Cyber and Space: Invest $2 billion into developing cyber defence capability and $400 million in strategic space protection.
AUKUS Partnership: Advance the AUKUS agreement for nuclear-powered submarines, with $368 billion allocated over 30 years to enhance naval capabilities.
The Coalition:
To address immigration and defence, the Coalition is proposing policies aimed at cutting migration to Australia, expanding border protection, and expanding Australia’s defence industry.
Border Protection: Strengthen Operation Sovereign Borders with $100 million investment for maritime surveillance, continuing offshore processing and turn back unauthorised arrivals to Australia.
Humanitarian Intake Reduction: Cut the humanitarian intake to 13,750 annually.
Military Funding Increase: Pledge $3 billion to acquire additional F-35 joint strike fighters, reversing Labor’s cancellation of 28 jets, bringing the fleet 100. Spend $21 billion extra in defence to raise it to 2.5 per cent in five years, and 3 per cent by 2035.
AUKUS Partnership: Progress the AUKUS partnership, expand strategic relationship with Israel, deepen ties with QUAD and the Five Eyes partners to promote regional security.
The Greens:
To address immigration and defence, The Greens are proposing policies that expand Australia’s humanitarian intake, create pathways for climate refugees, reduce military spending and withdraw from global security arrangements.
Humanitarian Intake: Raise the humanitarian intake to 50,000 refugees annually, prioritising vulnerable groups and family reunification. Abolish offshore detention and establish community-based asylum processing.
Climate Refugees: Create visa pathways for climate refugees from Pacific nations, supported by a $200 million in regional resilience programs.
Reduce Military Spending: Advocate for redirecting defence funds to social programs.
Anti-Militarisation: Withdraw Australia from AUKUS agreement. Support disarmament policies.
One Nation:
To address immigration and defence, One Nation is proposing policies that advocate for highly restricting immigration flow into Australia, and strengthening Australia’s defence industry.
Zero Net Immigration: Cap total immigration to 130,000 visas annually to achieve near-zero net migration.
Energy
One of Australia’s longest running political debates; Energy has become a dominant issue this campaign with Labor promising to continue the renewable energy rollout, while the Coalition offers to scrap this and back a nuclear energy rollout. These are the policies being advocated by the parties:
Labor:
To address energy, Labor is proposing policies aimed at expanding renewable energy in Australia to reduce emissions.
Renewables Target: Aim for 82 per cent renewable energy in the grid by 2030, backed by the Powering Australia Plan, to reduce emissions by 43 per cent from 2005 levels.
Household Battery Subsidies: Invest $2.3 billion to subsidise 30 per cent of home battery costs, targeting 1 million batteries by 2030, saving households up to $1,100 annually.
Clean Energy Funding: Allocate $2 billion extra through the green bank for clean energy technologies, supporting renewable projects and critical mineral processes.
The Coalition:
To address energy, the Coalition is proposing policies aimed at establishing nuclear energy in Australia and reducing price of energy of the next few years.
Nuclear Power Introduction: Propose building seven zero-emissions nuclear power plants to replace coal stations, aiming for 38 per cent nuclear, 54 per cent renewable and 8 per cent gas/storage by 2050. Estimated taxpayer cost (according to Coalition) is $263 billion, with the first plant operation in the mid-2030s.
Gas Reservation Scheme: Introduce a National Gas Plan requiring east coast LNG exporters to reserve uncontracted gas for domestic use, with fines for non-compliance. Modelling predicts 3 per cent lower electricity prices, 7 per cent lower household gas prices, and 15 per cent industry saving by 2025-26.
Coal Extension: Extend coal plant operations until nuclear is viable, slowing renewables rollout – it is estimated by the Climate Change Authority this will add 1 – 2 billion tonnes of emissions by 2050.
Emissions Targets: Commit to net zero by 2050, but likely to abandon the 43 per cent cut by 2030 target.
The Greens:
To address energy, the Greens are proposing policies that aim to reduce Australia’s carbon emissions in line with United Nations standards.
100 per cent Renewables by 2035: Target net-zero emissions by 2035 or sooner, phasing out all fossil fuel plants with fully renewable grid powered by solar, wind, and storage.
Electrification Plan: Offer grants and low-interest loans to disconnect households and businesses from gas, installing electronic appliances to cut emissions and bills.
Renter Solar Access: Fund upfront solar panel installation for renters, reducing power bills and emissions.
