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Finder Energy Report

Comprehensive Australian energy statistics.

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By

Graham Cooke

Updated

Fact checked

Sparking conversation

Picture not describedThe energy industry has become a controversial space in Australia in recent years. Extortionary price hikes have seen more and more Australian families struggling to keep up, with one in four now reporting energy bill stress. Our reliance on fossil fuel has become a highly contentious topic as the devastating effects of our carbon output are becoming tangible. And if that wasn't enough, Australia's ever-increasing energy export industry has also come under fire for increasing carbon emissions while still driving up energy bills.

This report intends to dissect each of these areas, while shedding light on consumer attitudes and lived realities. It provides an analysis of current trends in price, renewables and exports, and forecasts where we see these industries moving in the future. This report combines analysis of third-party data, internal data and consumer attitudes from Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker.

The price of gas and electricity in Australia has outpaced the Consumer Price Index (CPI) significantly since 2004, with no indication of slowing down. If the current trend continues, the price of electricity will be double CPI by June 2023, with gas 77% higher than CPI. However, the cost of automotive fuel has remained relatively consistent with CPI.

Production, Consumption and Net exports

Export as a percentage of production in Australia is one of the highest in the world and has been growing steadily since the 1970s. In 2000 we exported 5% more energy than we consumed and in 2018 we exported 99% more5 – contributing to a considerable
amount of the country’s overall exports. Energy accounted for 72% of Australia’s exported goods overall in 2018, worth $278 billion6. If this growth trend of exports continues, by 2030 we expect to export 3 times as much energy as we consume.

Key findings:

  • South Australia comes out on top for most expensive electricity
  • Victoria is the most affordable state for electricity
  • Finder predicts the price of electricity will be double the Consumer Price Index (CPI) by June 2023
  • Just one in four Australians trust their energy retailer
  • Over two-thirds of Australians are prepared to pay more for green power to help address their environmental impact
  • The growth in energy exports over time correlates very closely to the price ratio against CPI

Click here to download the full report.

Graham Cooke's headshot
Written by

Head of consumer research

Graham Cooke is the head of consumer research at Finder. He’s a seasoned analyst and data journalist, who has been covering personal finance, the economy, technology and travel at for eight years. He had taken part in over 500 live TV interviews and appears regularly on ABC News and Radio, 7 and 9 News, Sunrise, Today, Studio 10 and others. Graham is also a contributing author at Money Magazine and Yahoo Finance. See full bio

Graham's expertise
Graham has written 55 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Home loans and the housing market
  • Credit cards
  • Personal finance
  • Finder's RBA Cash Rate Survey
  • Finder Awards
  • Economics
  • FMCG
  • Travel
  • Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker
  • Consumer Research

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