Chris Bowen’s department release secret documents flagging power price increases

Household power prices are expected to rise this financial year and Australia’s emissions reductions will need to become much more ambitious, secret advice to the nation’s energy minister shows.

The federal government has handed over briefing notes written by Chris Bowen’s department at the start of this parliamentary term, after a months-long fight to keep them under wraps.

The heavily redacted documents warn Mr Bowen that energy costs are regularly ranked as the top concern for Australian households behind food and grocery prices.

“Government policies have provided temporary energy bill relief to households and small businesses,” an unredacted portion of the report reads.

“Still, the draft Default Market Offer points to a further significant increase in retail electricity prices next financial year.”

The Default Market Offer is a set of baseline power prices for south east Queensland, NSW, Victoria and South Australia, set out by the nation’s energy regulator.

Under the most recent version for this financial year, which was published in late May, prices were expected to increase between half a per cent and nearly 10 per cent depending on the state.

A draft version was published in March, before the 2025 election.

The documents also warn a “strong push” will be needed to finalise Australia’s climate commitments, and more work is needed to hit its carbon pollution goals.

“Emission reductions need to accelerate rapidly to meet the 2030 target,” the briefing note says.

It calls for full and timely implementation of Labor’s renewable energy policies to make Australia a “pragmatic climate leader.”

Since Mr Bowen received the documents, the government has announced its 2035 target, aiming to reduce carbon pollution by between 62 and 70 per cent compared to 2005 levels.