AGL to close South Australia’s main gas power station by mid-2026

Today we start with some positive news as AGL is closing South Australia’s main gas power station by mid-2026, instead of 2035 as previously planned. The energy giant, which has been under siege from billionaire activist Mike Cannon-Brookes over its decarbonisation pace, said it would close the remaining three units of the 600 megawatt Torrens Island B gas-fired power station on 30 June 2026.

Australians want faster action on rising electricity prices and the transition to renewables, with more than 70 percent of voters backing government intervention via price caps.

And the Greens announced their ‘Climate Ticket’ to encourage Victorians to take a bus, tram or train around the state. Free public transport for under 21s, $1 a day for concession and $3 a day for adults is the Victorian Greens proposal as an election policy to get cars off the road, reduce emissions and combat the rising cost-of-living.

AGL to close South Australia’s main gas power station, citing new grid link and cheaper renewables
The closure of the Torrens B 600MW gas-fired plant will happen by mid-2026, instead of 2035 as previously planned.

Greens release ‘climate ticket’ public transport policy
Free public transport for under 21s, $1 a day for concession and $3 a day for adults is the ‘Climate Ticket’ the Victorian Greens are proposing as an election policy to get cars off the road, reduce emissions and combat the rising cost-of-living.

Push to power up on energy action
A national poll showed the highest levels of support for government intervention were new price caps on electricity and gas prices (74 percent), limiting the amount of LNG being exported overseas via a trigger (71 percent) and a code of conduct for gas producers to make more domestic gas available (70 percent). Other measures include federal and state governments taking control of power generation from private companies (66 percent), accelerating the shift to renewable energy (63 percent), a windfall tax on gas companies (59 percent) and direct subsidies to consumers funded by new government debt (58 percent).

How Albanese walked a tightrope of Labor division amid fears 43% emissions target would cost it the election
Labor’s signature climate policy to cut emissions by 43% by 2030 was resisted by some senior figures in the leadership group and triggered a collective anxiety attack in the shadow cabinet as MPs agonised over whether it would cost them another election victory. The internal wrangling ahead of the shadow cabinet’s decision to endorse the 2030 target in December 2021 is revealed in the new Quarterly Essay: Lone Wolf: Albanese and the New Politics, which will be published on Monday.

CSIRO, Nutri V turning vegetable food waste into healthy snacks one farm at a time
The global food waste conundrum continues to grow, but smart tech developed in Australia could cut the problem significantly, one farm at a time. The technology could help reduce a massive waste problem on Australian farms.

Indigenous groups criticise WA legislation as they back federal laws to protect heritage sites
Moves by the federal government to strengthen protections for Indigenous cultural heritage sites have been broadly welcomed by Indigenous custodians, amid warnings that state laws do not go far enough.

‘Fundamentally broken’: Biodiversity offset scheme needs overhaul, government report finds
A scheme that allows developers to damage animal habitat in one part of NSW and pay to protect elsewhere lacks transparency, a parliamentary committee has found, raising concerns it is failing to deliver meaningful biodiversity protection.