This paper argues that the Australian government has a responsibility to ensure the cost of decarbonisation does not fall disproportionately on the shoulders of regional Australians, because when regional Australia does well, all Australians do well.

This consultation paper is the first under Blueprint Institute’s new energy policy initiative. It sets out the decarbonisation challenge Australia faces in the decades ahead, and how we might confront it.

Australia is at a critical juncture. The COVID-19 crisis has cut short three decades of uninterrupted economic growth. This paper argues that Australia will require wide-reaching reforms that were necessary before the crisis, and are now more critical than ever before.

This paper focuses on the genesis of the National Cabinet, elements that have helped make it successful, and how it can continue to fulfil the expectations of the Australian public during the COVID-19 recovery.