Liberal Party of Australia policies and positions in 2026

The short answer

Liberal Party of Australia policies and positions in 2026

The Liberal Party of Australia's stated policy platform in 2026, published on its 'Our Plan to Fix The Economy. Protect Our Way Of Life.' page (re-checked on 12 September 2026), centres on four priorities: lower taxes through a Tax Back Guarantee; cheaper power by scrapping Net Zero; less migration linked to new home construction; and putting Australians first through a Future Generations Fund. The page re-checked on 12 September 2026 and the party's embedded posts add further stated positions: the party says it will 'simplify the National Construction Code, while preserving core safety standards, to cut the cost of a new home by up to $70,000', that 'our farms should be growing food, not carbon credits' and the Coalition will stop Labor's 'net zero agenda from locking up land', and it describes Australians under Labor as having experienced 'the worst collapse in living standards in the developed world'. The party's 14 May 2026 Coalition Plan adds indexed tax thresholds, a migration and housing pledge, a fuel security plan, a small business write-off and at least 3 per cent of GDP on defence. The re-checked page and September 2026 party posts also state that the Liberals and Nationals will cut tobacco excise by 80 per cent, invest $200 million in stronger law enforcement and regulate vapes and nicotine pouches for adults; that the party wants to scrap a $5,000 annual cap on Veterans' allied health care; and that the party will 'axe Labor's toxic taxes', including what it calls the 'baby tax' on family trusts. All positions are attributed to Liberal Party sources and have not been independently verified by OzPolitics. The AEC register confirms the party is a registered federal party.

This guide uses public electoral and parliamentary records. A party or candidate statement establishes what that actor says; it does not independently establish that the statement is true.

The useful question is not only “what is the rule?” but also “who administers it, which document controls it, and when might it change?” That distinction prevents an accurate general explanation from becoming wrong advice in a particular election, chamber or policy setting.

Evidence review

Leadership and the stated platform

The Liberal Party's official 'Our Plan' page, re-checked on 12 September 2026, is titled 'Our Plan to Fix The Economy. Protect Our Way Of Life.' The page states that 'The Coalition will restore our standard of living and put Australians first,' and that this is 'the highest taxing government in Australian history.' The re-checked page also asserts that 'under Labor, Australians have experienced the worst collapse in living standards in the developed world,' that 'government spending is at a 40-year high outside the pandemic,' and that Labor is 'leaving future generations with more than $1 trillion in debt.' It identifies Angus Taylor as Leader of the Opposition and Member for Hume, and states four priorities: lower taxes via a Tax Back Guarantee; cheaper power by scrapping Net Zero; less migration linked to new home construction; and putting Australians first through a Future Generations Fund. The AEC register confirms the party is a registered federal party. All positions in this article are attributed to the party and are not independently verified by OzPolitics.

Evidence review

Housing and migration

The 'Our Plan' page states the party will 'link Australia's migration intake to the number of new homes built' and 'cap immigration numbers based on available housing.' The page, re-checked on 12 September 2026, adds that a Coalition government 'will overhaul our skilled migration program, bringing in the people with the skills that businesses desperately need.' The 14 May 2026 Coalition Plan restates the migration-housing link as a 'Migration and Housing Pledge.'

The party's posts on its 'Our Plan' page add that the Coalition will 'simplify the National Construction Code, while preserving core safety standards, to cut the cost of a new home by up to $70,000,' and that it will 'axe Labor's housing taxes.' These figures are the party's stated claims and have not been independently verified by OzPolitics.

The party does not specify the numerical formula or how the cap would interact with existing visa categories. Jonathon Duniam, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and Immigration, said in a 21 July 2026 Menzies Institute address that migration should be linked to 'the number of homes actually completed.'

Evidence review

Tax and cost of living

The 'Our Plan' page says the party will 'stop Labor's assault on aspiration by axing every one of Labor's toxic taxes, introducing the Tax Back Guarantee, and backing small businesses that invest and create jobs.' In September 2026 party posts, the party says Labor has designed a 'birth tax that punishes family businesses for having a baby', claiming that adding a newborn to a trust structure could trigger a 47 per cent tax on its entire income, and that the Liberals and Nationals 'will axe Labor's toxic taxes'.

The 14 May 2026 Coalition Plan describes the Tax Back Guarantee as ending 'Labor's inflation tax' by indexing income tax thresholds to inflation: the bottom two thresholds from 2028-29 and the top two from 2031-32. The party says the measure would deliver relief of 'around $250 in year one, growing to more than $1,000 a year in year four' — its own projection, not an independent figure. The plan also promises a permanent $50,000 instant asset write-off for small businesses.

Two September 2026 party releases concern the budget and living standards. A 2 September 2026 release says the Treasurer was left 'strangled by unanswered questions from experts over $1t debt, broken budget', and a 3 September 2026 release says the Treasurer 'concedes budget destroying wealth, wages'. These are the party's characterisations of official data and Treasury statements, not independent findings.

Evidence review

Climate and energy

The 'Our Plan' page states: 'The Coalition will scrap Net Zero and make Australia an energy superpower. We will deliver cheaper power and energy abundance, focused on results Australians can afford, not targets Australia cannot meet.' The current page does not state what emissions targets the party would adopt.

For context, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water states Australia's legislated target is 43 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 and net zero by 2050. A 28 July 2026 party release calls on the Government to 'scrap the carbon tax to make a WA oil refinery a reality.'

Posts embedded on the party's page also state that 'our farms should be growing food, not carbon credits' and that the Coalition will 'stop Labor's net zero agenda from locking up land.' These are the party's stated positions, not an independently verified policy cost or a legislated measure.

Evidence review

Tobacco, vaping and organised crime

In September 2026 the party set out a tobacco and vaping policy through posts embedded on its 'Our Plan' page. The party says organised crime is 'making billions from Australia's illegal tobacco market' and that it is 'no longer only a question of tax settings or smoking rates – it is an organised crime problem operating in suburbs across the country.'

The stated plan is to 'cut tobacco excise by 80 per cent to destroy the black market's price advantage, invest $200 million in stronger law enforcement, and regulate vapes and nicotine pouches for adults.' The party frames the goal as: 'take away the gangs' customers, take away their profits, protect children, and put organised crime out of business.'

A related 8 September 2026 party release says 'Minns defies Albanese on tobacco tax as PM refuses to act', and it is reported that NSW Premier Chris Minns declined to follow the Commonwealth position. The excise, enforcement and regulation figures are the party's stated policy claims; they are proposals, not enacted measures, and have not been independently costed by OzPolitics. For reference, Commonwealth excise and customs duty on tobacco are administered by the Australian Taxation Office and the Australian Border Force under the Excise Act 1901 and related legislation.

Evidence review

Healthcare, veterans and family choice

The 'Our Plan' page frames health policy under 'Offer families choice': 'In health, we will focus on you and your whole-of-life health,' and in aged care 'we will give respect, care and dignity.' The page does not state a specific dollar commitment for Medicare.

Party Instagram posts embedded on the page say Labor did not consult senior Australians about its '$11 billion tax cutting the private health insurance rebate for Australians aged 65 and over'. In 90-second statements published on 12 August 2026, Angus Taylor repeated that claim, citing research that 'some 40 per cent of Australians aged 65 and over will likely drop their private health cover altogether.' These are the party's claims as published.

On veterans, the party campaigns against a $5,000 annual cap on Veterans' allied health care. A 22 August 2026 party release says the 2026-27 Budget imposed the $5,000 annual limit on DVA-funded allied health services for Veteran Card holders from 1 July 2027 and booked $748 million in savings over three years, rising to around $340 million a year thereafter. Angus Taylor said the Government had 'found $748 million for its broken Budget by capping care for the people who served our country.' A September 2026 embedded post repeats the message: 'They served our country but Labor is capping their healthcare. Our veterans deserve better. We'll scrap the cap.' The cap figures and characterisations are the party's claims; DVA administers allied health services for Veteran Card holders separately.

Evidence review

Childcare safety and construction-sector integrity

A post embedded on the 'Our Plan' page, dated 2 August 2026 from Angus Taylor's account, says parents 'deserve to know their children are safe in childcare' and that the Coalition is 'calling for urgent action — including the establishment of a Childcare Perpetrator Register.' The post says the party has 'written to the Prime Minister calling for action' and supports 'banned in one, banned in all' Working With Children Check rules. These are stated positions, not an enacted scheme.

A second post from Senator Jane Hume says Victoria's Royal Commission 'must get to the bottom of what is the largest corruption scandal in Victoria's history' and argues that 'we need a federal inquiry to investigate corruption in the construction sector right across the country.' In September 2026 posts she said Labor's attempt to clean up the CFMEU is 'far from done' and that 'the CFMEU Administrator needs the powers necessary to stamp out corruption and misconduct.' For context, the Australian Human Rights Commission's National Principles for Child Safe Organisations form the existing national child-safety framework.

Evidence review

Defence, borders and national security

The 'Our Plan' page includes a 'Keeping Australians Safe' heading: the party says it will 'build a strong defence force that can act fast and hit hard,' 'deliver AUKUS,' 'guard our borders,' and keep streets safe from crime, terror and foreign threats. The 14 May 2026 Coalition Plan adds a 'whole-of-nation National Security Strategy and at least 3% of GDP on defence.'

Embedded posts on the page in September 2026 focus on counter-terrorism and organised crime. A post marking the 25th anniversary of the 11 September attacks says the party remembers 'the almost 3,000 people killed including the 10 Australians' and commits to 'keep out, and root out Islamist extremism.' These are the party's statements.

Evidence review

Regional Australia, education and other areas

The 'Our Plan' page states the party will 'establish a $20 billion Regional Australia Future Fund, protect the Murray-Darling Basin, and end Labor's water buybacks.' On education it says: 'We will get the basics right: reading, writing, maths and going to school' and 'back trades and training, not just university.' On welfare it says 'We will let people earn more before their payments drop'; the 14 May 2026 Coalition Plan adds a 'Putting Australians First' measure to 'reserve welfare payments and the NDIS for Australian citizens.'

The page also carries a 'Restore Australia's self-confidence' theme, stating the party is 'proud of our country: our history, our values and the things that unite us' and that it 'expect[s] those who come here to embrace our way of life.'

Evidence review

Parliamentary statements and party-published records

The party-published records behind source records 08272f13ca340be2, e24dc3f6fbc10de2, 813252437ef13f92, be3cc332be24a0a6, 6f569749537f4c68, e972107b1d717627 and d83765c108b18d43 are, respectively, the party's 'Our Plan' page (updated 27 August 2024), its 9 July 2026 Sydney Institute address, its 14 May 2026 Coalition Plan released at the Budget in Reply, its 9 September 2026 'baby tax' release, its 8 September 2026 tobacco-tax release, its 3 September 2026 release on the Treasurer and wealth and wages, and its 2 September 2026 release on $1 trillion in debt and the budget. These records establish attributed party positions, not independent verification.

On 11 August 2026, Angus Taylor moved in the House of Representatives to suspend standing orders so the House would immediately consider the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 2) Bill 2026, saying 'yesterday marked 90 days since Labor's bin fire of a Budget' and describing Labor's taxes as 'a wicked tax on widows and divorcees.' On 12 August 2026, he moved a further suspension motion over what he called 'the recent behaviour of the Prime Minister concerning the Prime Minister of Japan, Her Excellency Sanae Takaichi,' claiming the Prime Minister refuses to apologise over 'crass and demeaning behaviour' and that 'it is possible that this disclosure is a criminal offence under Division 122 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code.' These allegations are reported as the party's claims, not verified findings.

On 13 August 2026, Senator Jane Hume and Shadow Treasurer Tim Wilson said new Average Weekly Earnings data confirmed Australians were 'going backwards', arguing the average worker was around $1,200 a year worse off in real terms. On 14 August 2026, Tim Wilson said the Coalition stood by the previous Coalition government's approach to GST distribution and called on the Prime Minister to recommit to his 2024 'no change to WA GST' promise, and said new ABS lending data showed the Government's Budget had left first home buyers behind. These figures are the party's characterisations of official data.

Evidence review

Chamber record cross-check — party-published records

This article records the party's stated positions as published on its official website and in its statements, checked on 12 September 2026. The party's 'Our Plan' page remains the central source record (08272f13ca340be2). Party-published material establishes an attributed position, not independent proof of every factual claim.

Where the party makes claims about outcomes, costs, savings or behaviour — such as the $70,000 housing-cost reduction, the tobacco excise cut, the veterans' cap savings or the effect of Labor's taxes — those claims are reported as the party's assertions. Official sources such as the Australian Electoral Commission, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, the Department of Veterans' Affairs and the Australian Human Rights Commission are cited only to identify the relevant official framework or to place the party's claims in context. Readers should treat every figure in this article as a party claim unless stated otherwise.

Common questions

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