Family First’s Jane Foreman says the CSIRO’s own modelling proves what she has argued for years: tearing down Victoria’s coal plants for wind, solar and thousands of kilometres of new transmission lines will cost families more. She is calling on the Allan Government to keep the Latrobe Valley’s coal stations open, unlock Gippsland’s gas reserves, and give Victorians a nuclear option Labor has spent a decade ruling out.
A new CSIRO GenCost report, reported by The Age on 15 July 2026, has found that a grid built on more coal and gas would deliver electricity at $124 per megawatt hour by 2050, compared with $131 per megawatt hour under the current renewables-heavy net zero plan — a direct saving of 5 per cent. Family First’s Jane Foreman says the figures blow a hole in the case for demolishing Victoria’s coal fleet on the promise of cheaper power.
“Victorians are being asked to accept the closure of Yallourn, thousands of kilometres of transmission towers through Gippsland and western Victoria farmland, and a ban on gas in new homes,” said Mrs Foreman. “The CSIRO’s own numbers show that tearing down reliable coal power will cost families more.”
Yallourn power station, which still supplies around 15 per cent of Victoria’s electricity, is scheduled to close in mid-2028, four years earlier than its original 2032 retirement date. At the same time, Victoria has banned gas connections to new homes since January 2024, with the ban set to extend to virtually all new residential builds from 2027 — even as the government’s own Gas Security Statement, released in mid-2025, warned of potential gas supply shortfalls as coal exits the grid.
“You can’t ban gas in new homes, close down baseload coal, and then act surprised when your own department warns of a gas shortfall,” said Mrs Foreman. “Meanwhile farmers across western Victoria are fighting transmission projects like VNI West and the Western Renewables Link being forced through their land, for a plan that CSIRO says will cost more for decades.”
Family First’s energy policy calls for an end to net zero targets, a halt to renewable subsidies, keeping and reopening coal-fired power stations, unlocking gas exploration, and greenlighting nuclear power — an option currently locked out of Victoria and Australia by law.
“Victorians deserve affordable, secure and reliable power, not a decade of demolition and transmission towers for a rounding error,” said Mrs Foreman. “This November, Victorians can vote for more of Labor’s net zero gamble, or for Family First, which will keep the lights on, keep power affordable, and put families first.”
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