IN his federal budget reply speech Opposition leader Peter Dutton announced new policies a Coalition government would implement if elected including halving the fuel excise for 12 months.

Mr Dutton said if elected his government would introduce four critical pieces of legislation on the first sitting day of the next Parliament – the Energy Price Reduction Bill, the Lower Immigration and More Homes for Australians Bill, the Keeping Australians Safe Bill and the Guaranteed Funding for Health, Education and Essential Services Bill.

Fuel excise would be halved for 12 months and reviewed, and he said they planned to deliver a stronger economy with lower inflation, cheaper energy, affordable homes, quality healthcare and safer communities.

He said for a household with one car filling-up once a week, that would be a saving of $14 a week on average – or about $700 over 12 months with the policy to cost $6 billion.

“Compare that to 70 cents a day in 15 months’ time,” he said.

“Working with industry, we will ensure that heavy vehicle road users also benefit from this measure.’’

Mr Dutton said amidst Labor’s cost-of-living pressures, charities were experiencing increased demand, including from Australians who have never previously relied on that support and will commit $50 million to food charities.

His budget reply said a Coalition government would do three things – rein-in inflationary spending, reduce the cost of energy and strengthen the economy to work.

“To get interest rates down, we need to get inflation down.

“And to get inflation down, we need to address its underlying causes.

“We want to stop wasteful government spending.

“A Coalition government will rein-in key inflationary, ineffectual, and imprudent spending.”

Mr Dutton outlined the Rewiring the Nation fund, Housing Australia Future fund, production tax credits for green hydrogen and the increase of public servants as examples of wasteful spending.

He said he wanted to end the $20b Rewiring the Nation fund, the $10b Housing Australia Future fund, Labor’s production tax credits for green hydrogen of about $14b, and reverse the increase of 41,000 public servants in Canberra.

“(But) in line with our national interest, we will continue to invest in essential services and critical areas of the economy – like health, aged-care, veterans’ support, the NDIS, Indigenous affairs, childcare and defence,” he said.

If the Liberals come into power, Mr Dutton said they would introduce an east coast gas reservation.

“This will secure an additional 10 to 20 per cent of the east coast’s demand.

“Gas which would otherwise be exported for use in other markets for consumers.”

Shell Australia country chair Cecile Wake said Peter Dutton’s announcement could impact Australia’s economy.

“Caution should be exercised to avoid the risk of unintended consequences when energy and gas policy becomes the subject of election dynamics,” Ms Wake said.

“It is sobering to imagine the blackouts; loss of manufacturing jobs; impact of increased sovereign risk on investment in other energy vectors and the worsening balance of trade as LNG export revenues rapidly decline if such a ban was imposed and these impacts played out.”

In addition, Mr Dutton said the Liberal Party would fast-track the decision on WA’s North West Shelf project if they came into power.

Mr Dutton’s seat of Dickson is a marginal Liberal seat according to the ABC’s federal election 2025 profile.