2025 Labor Battery Rebate Scam
The 2025 Smart Energy Conference in Sydney kicked off with all the fanfare you’d expect from an industry on the rise. New booths. New tech. New money.
And politics, of course.
The federal government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program was the centrepiece — a headline-grabbing announcement dropped by Labor’s Energy Minister on a Sunday morning, then brought to life the following day in a packed hall filled with installers, suppliers, and solar executives like myself.
It opened with a Welcome to Country — a gesture of respect that’s become standard at public events — and then, without missing a beat, delivered the government’s big election-season offering: a national rebate to get batteries into Australian homes.
It landed exactly as intended. The room burst into applause. Smiles all round. Media took notice. And yet, behind the handshakes and excitement, a harder question lingered in the air — who is this really for?
The Battery Boom Is Real
There’s no denying it. Batteries are here, and they’re not slowing down.
At the conference, battery companies were everywhere. Some names I’d never even heard of were suddenly centre stage. One booth, from a relatively unknown manufacturer, looked like it cost six figures to set up — just for a two-day event.
As the CEO of Queensland Solar & Lighting, I pay attention to the market. When I’m surprised by the presence of new brands, it tells me one thing: money has entered the room.
And when government rebates flow, industry follows.
For solar companies like mine, this new program will generate leads, sales, and plenty of installations. It will stimulate the sector, fast-track consumer adoption, and keep the phones ringing.
But that’s only half the story.
Renters Left Behind — Again
The reality is this: Labor’s battery rebate is designed for homeowners. If you don’t own your roof, you’re not invited to the party.
Renters — who make up roughly a third of all Australian households — are completely sidelined. Most don’t have solar panels. Few have landlords willing to invest in upgrades. And under this new scheme, nothing changes for them.
It’s a pattern we’ve seen before. Solar panels, water tanks, even insulation — when government money is thrown at homeowners, renters watch from the sidelines. It’s the same playbook, just with newer tech.
What’s worse is that many of those renters are exactly the people who need relief most. Energy bills hit low-income households the hardest. And yet they’re being asked to wait, again, for the benefits of the so-called clean energy revolution.
A Market Ripe for Trouble
Rebates draw attention. But they also draw in the wrong kind of operator.
We’ve seen it in solar. We’ve seen it in insulation. And now, it’s happening in batteries.
With government support on the table, new businesses will spring up overnight. Some will be professional. Many won’t. And with a product like lithium batteries — a technology that carries serious safety risks if installed incorrectly — the margin for error is small.
The industry is excited, yes. But quality control and installer regulation must be priorities. Otherwise, we’ll end up cleaning up the mess for years to come.
I’ve Seen the Hype Before
There’s a sense of déjà vu here. The NBN rollout in the early 2010s promised a modern, connected Australia. It delivered patchy outcomes and a lot of frustration.
This battery rebate carries the same tone: big vision, light detail, fast rollout.
To be clear, I’m not against batteries. I was skeptical for a long time — but even I began offering them recently, simply because demand was growing. The market was maturing. People were ready.
What we didn’t need was a pre-election sugar hit.
Timed Too Neatly
Let’s not pretend this is coincidence.
The announcement was timed for impact. Sunday morning reveal. Monday morning conference rollout. Full media coverage.
As someone who supported Albanese in the last election — and did so with hope — I can’t ignore how well this lines up with the political calendar. A popular announcement, targeted at middle-class homeowners, designed to win over marginal electorates.
It’s smart politics. But it’s not smart policy.
A Two-Speed Future
If this continues, Australia is headed toward a two-speed energy economy.
On one track: homeowners, landlords, and early adopters, equipped with solar and batteries, cutting their bills and claiming rebates.
On the other: renters, casual workers, and low-income families — still paying full price, still locked out, and still being told to wait.
This is no way to roll out national energy reform.
What could improve the plan?
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Tying landlord rebates to tenant benefit
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Incentivising shared or community battery systems
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Building-in protections against poor installations
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Considering renters from day one
Final Word
As a solar retailer, I’ll profit from this. That’s the honest truth. And I’m not against growth, or incentives, or helping the industry expand.
But we should be able to do all of that without leaving people behind.
Right now, Labor’s battery rebate is a half-finished story. It helps some, it excludes many, and it asks the wrong questions.
If Australia is serious about a fair, modern energy system — we’ll need a better ending than this.
– Kempy
CEO, Queensland Solar & Lighting