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 is a registered federal party whose parliamentary wing sits in opposition in the 48th Parliament. Its public platform for 2026 is set out on the party's "Our Plan" pages, re-checked on 14 September 2026. The party states four headline priorities: lower taxes through a "Tax Back Guarantee"; cheaper power by scrapping Net Zero; linking migration to the number of homes built; and "putting Australians first" through a Future Generations Fund to pay down debt. On the dedicated policy pages the party now sets out more detailed commitments: a permanent $50,000 instant asset write-off for businesses with turnover under $10 million; scrapping the Safeguard Mechanism and lifting the nuclear ban; doubling fuel reserves to 60 days with an $800 million Australian Fuel Security Facility; making compliance with the Australian Values Statement a binding visa condition; a $5 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund; a "speed limit on spending"; reserving future access to 17 welfare payments and the NDIS to Australian citizens from 1 July 2028; a $20 billion Regional Australia Future Fund; and defence spending of at least 3 per cent of GDP. Angus Taylor is identified on the page as Leader of the Opposition and Member for Hume. Everything on this page is the party's own claim: OzPolitics attributes each position to the party and does not treat the party's figures, costings or predicted effects as independently verified facts. Where a claim touches current law or government administration, this article says so and points to the official source.

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 "Our Plan" page, re-checked on 14 September 2026, is headed "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," 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.

The page sets out four headline priorities: lower taxes through "axing every one of Labor's toxic taxes" and 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, which establishes its legal status as a party but says nothing about the merits of its policies.

Each priority links to a dedicated policy page. Since the previous check on 13 September 2026 the four policy pages have been significantly expanded: they now set out named funds, dollar figures, thresholds and mechanisms rather than headline slogans alone. This profile records that new detail as the party's stated positions. Every position in this article is attributed to the party and is not independently verified by OzPolitics. The party's own numbers, costings and asserted effects are reported here as the party's claims, not as findings of fact.

Evidence review

Tax, spending and the Future Generations Fund

On the dedicated tax page, the party says it 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." The page names specific measures it says it would axe: "Labor's changes to Capital Gains Tax", "Labor's 30 per cent minimum tax on trusts", and "Labor's negative gearing changes". The 14 May 2026 Coalition Plan describes the Tax Back Guarantee as indexing income tax thresholds to inflation. The tax page now states the timing: from 2028-29 the party would index the bottom two income tax thresholds to inflation, which it says would "fully protect 85 per cent of taxpayers from bracket creep", and from 2031-32 it would index the top two thresholds as well, which it says would protect every taxpayer.

The same page states the Tax Back Guarantee would deliver relief of "around $250 in year one growing to more than $1,000 a year in year four" for those on the bottom two thresholds — the party's own projection, not an independent figure. It also promises a permanent $50,000 instant asset write-off for any business with a turnover under $10 million, says it would expand access to CGT concessions for small businesses, and says it would consult on a new Small Business Act.

The "Our Plan to Put Australians First" page, re-checked on 14 September 2026, promises a "speed limit on spending" preventing government from spending faster than the economy grows, a restored tax-to-GDP cap, and a revitalised Charter of Budget Honesty. It states that a "Taylor Coalition Government" would establish a Future Generations Fund that would bank "80 cents in every dollar of windfall company tax and resource rent tax from major commodities," with 25 per cent of funding directed to the regions. The party says this would pay down debt and fund infrastructure, and that it would table a "Future Generations statement" each year. These are the party's stated mechanisms and targets; the revenue and debt effects it asserts have not been independently modelled in this article.

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. A 9 September 2026 release claims Labor has designed a "birth tax that punishes family businesses for having a baby", asserting that adding a newborn to a trust structure could trigger a 47 per cent tax on its entire income. That figure is the party's claim and is not independently verified here.

Evidence review

Welfare, citizenship and national security

The "Put Australians First" page states that "at least 17 welfare payments and benefits – plus the NDIS – are open to non-citizens, with some programs available on arrival," and that from 1 July 2028 a Coalition government would "limit access to 17 welfare payments and benefits to Australian citizens only" and "limit future eligibility for the NDIS to Australian citizens only." The party says it would grandfather existing welfare recipients, maintain current exemptions and international arrangements, and "guarantee current access to Medicare and hospitals." These are the party's proposals; they would require legislation, and as of the check date they are not law.

The same page commits a Coalition government to a whole-of-government National Security Strategy, a dedicated National Security Adviser "modelled on the US, UK and Japan", and defence spending of "at least 3 per cent of GDP". In a 9 September 2026 social post, the Leader of the Opposition said his commitment was "to keep out, and root out Islamist extremism" and that "we will protect our way of life". These are the party's stated commitments; the specific funding and design detail behind them is not set out in the checked pages.

Evidence review

Energy, climate and regional Australia

The "Cheaper Power" priority states that "the Coalition will scrap Net Zero and make Australia an energy superpower" and will "deliver cheaper power and energy abundance, focused on results Australians can afford, not targets Australia cannot meet." The dedicated energy page, re-checked on 14 September 2026, sets out further detail: the party says it would "scrap net zero mandates and their costs", "lift the nuclear ban", "double fuel reserves to 60 days", support "more than 1 billion litres of new fuel storage" with an "$800 million Australian Fuel Security Facility", and scrap "Labor's carbon taxes, including the Safeguard Mechanism". It also says it would reinstate a $100 million Junior Minerals Exploration Incentive and make the $7 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility permanent.

The energy page states the party's claimed figures: that electricity bills "have increased around 40 per cent under Labor", that "nearly a quarter-of-a-million households have been forced onto hardship or payment assistance", and that households have spent "an extra $23 billion" on energy bills over four years. It also states that Australia "imports 90 per cent of its liquid fuels" and faces gas shortages by 2029. These figures are the party's own claims and have not been independently verified by OzPolitics.

A 28 July 2026 party release calls on Labor to "scrap carbon tax to make WA oil refinery a reality". The Commonwealth's own emissions-reduction framework, administered by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, remains in place; the party's proposal to scrap Net Zero would require policy and, in part, legislative change that has not occurred as at the check date.

On regional policy, the main "Our Plan" page commits the party to "establish a $20 billion Regional Australia Future Fund, protect the Murray–Darling Basin, and end Labor's water buybacks that strip water from farms and towns." The party also lists "Keeping Australians Safe", "Offer families choice", "Raise education standards", "Encourage work ahead of welfare" and "Restore Australia's self-confidence" as further themes under "What's Next", describing its policy program as still under development. These are forward-looking party commitments, not implemented policy.

Evidence review

Migration and housing

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

The dedicated migration page, re-checked on 14 September 2026, adds detail. It says the party would "cap net overseas migration each year below the number of new homes completed", would make "compliance with the Australian Values Statement a binding condition for obtaining and holding a visa", and would "axe Labor's housing taxes — increasing the number of homes by 35,000". It sets out three strands to its "Australian Values Migration Plan": making compliance with the Australian Values Statement a binding visa condition with breaches as grounds for failing the character test; introducing a "Safe Country List" to fast-track refusal of unfounded protection claims, restoring Temporary Protection Visas and funding enforcement; and establishing an "Enhanced Screening Coordination Centre" with social media vetting integrating ASIO, the AFP and the Australian Border Force.

The same page states that "around 77,000 unlawful non-citizens are estimated to be living in Australia", that under Labor "the housing shortfall is now 400,000", and that Australia is "building around 170,000 homes a year, compared with around 200,000 homes a year under the Coalition". It also promises a "$5 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund to help unlock up to 400,000 new homes", reserving the First Home Buyers 5% Deposit Scheme for Australian citizens only, simplifying the National Construction Code "to cut the cost of building a new home by up to $70,000", and axing the Housing Australia Future Fund and Build-to-Rent tax breaks. These figures and effects are the party's stated claims and have not been independently verified by OzPolitics.

The party does not specify the numerical formula for the migration cap or how it 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". That is an attributed statement of the party's position, not a description of current law.

Evidence review

Health, veterans and child safety

A 22 August 2026 party release calls on the Prime Minister "to scrap veterans' allied health cap", following the government's planned $5,000 annual cap on Veterans' allied health care. The Department of Veterans' Affairs administers the Veteran Card and allied health programs; the party's demand is an attributed position, and the cap's status is a matter to be checked against current government administration.

On child safety, party material has promoted a "Childcare Perpetrator Register" and "banned in one, banned in all" Working With Children Check rules. The Australian Human Rights Commission's National Principles for Child Safe Organisations are the official national framework in this area and are cited here as context, not as an endorsement of any party proposal.

A 10 September 2026 party post states that "The Liberals and Nationals will cut the 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 Australian Taxation Office administers Commonwealth excise; the 80 per cent cut and the $200 million figure are the party's stated proposals, not current settings.

Evidence review

How to read this profile

OzPolitics treats a party's own material as evidence of what that party says and proposes. It does not establish that a stated figure, costing or predicted outcome is correct, and a party's characterisation of another party's record is not a finding of fact. Where a claim depends on current law, a regulator's data or a government program, the reader should follow the official source linked in this article.

This profile is a dated snapshot. Party platforms change, and the party's own pages describe parts of its program as still being developed. The material-change trigger below explains what would prompt a re-check.

Common questions

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