The Western Australian government has vehemently denied accusations of a political backflip and broken promises after unveiling significant changes to its subsidy scheme for home batteries. The move comes after widespread public concern over a perceived U-turn on election commitments.
Before the February state election, Premier Roger Cook pledged to boost the industry by introducing a generous subsidy for residents installing batteries at home. He described the initiative as a catalyst for a “tsunami of work” in the sector. Under the original plan, Synergy customers could access rebates of up to $5,000, while Horizon Power regional customers were promised up to $7,500 aimed at encouraging more households to adopt renewable energy storage alongside rooftop solar.
Federal Labor also announced a similar scheme during its election campaign, offering a 30 per cent discount on the purchase of batteries, adding to the momentum for residential renewables.
However, following both parties’ re-election, the WA government has now announced a scaled-back version of the subsidy, citing “revisions” to the scheme. The new offer will see subsidies reduced to just $1,300 for Synergy customers and $3,800 for Horizon Power users raising questions about the government’s commitment to renewable energy and industry growth.
Despite the reductions, government officials maintain that the changes are necessary and deny they constitute a broken promise, insisting the revised scheme still supports the goal of increasing household solar battery adoption. The debate continues over whether the new figures will dampen enthusiasm for renewable energy investment across the state.
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