Big Corporates Benefitting From Taxpayer-Backed Clean Energy Funding: Senator

Liberal Senator Jane Hume has questioned the Labor government’s electric vehicle policies, arguing that they compel taxpayers to help fund corporations’ decarbonisation efforts.

She gave the example of supermarket giant Woolworths, which has received support to electrify its delivery vehicle fleet through programs run by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC).

In July 2025, the CEFC announced that it invested $6 million to procure 60 battery-electric trucks, which would then be leased to Woolworths to help the company replace its existing diesel vehicles.

Meanwhile, ARENA said in September 2025 that it was providing $8.5 million to Zenobē, a UK-based company specialising in electric fleet solutions.

The funding is part of a project to build a brand-new $19 million charging hub for battery-electric trucks in Sydney, which will also be leased to Woolworths.

“That’s $25 million of taxpayer money that is going to a company whose underlying profit last year was $1.7 billion. This is crazy,” Hume said at a recent Senate sitting.

While the senator said she believed reducing carbon emissions was necessary, she questioned why taxpayers should help corporations decarbonise.

“Why does Woolworths need taxpayer money to do this for their delivery trucks?” she asked.

“It may be the case that some Australians are happy to pay higher grocery prices to help fund those electric vehicles, and I’m one of them.

“However, are you happy to pay with both higher grocery prices and higher taxes?”

The Epoch Times has reached out to Woolworths for comment.

Not a Unique Situation: Senator

Hume also noted that similar situations are happening across the economy as the Labor government pushes for net zero.

“It’s happening because Labor is pouring billions of dollars into ‘clean energy projects’ without telling Australians exactly how much the transition is really going to cost,” she said.

“There’s the National Reconstruction Fund, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, ARENA, Rewiring the Nation, the emissions reduction fund, [and] the small-scale renewable energy scheme.

“The list goes on and on.”

The Liberal senator added that Australian taxpayers deserve greater transparency around the government’s net-zero spending.

“Every single dollar a government spends comes from somebody else’s pocket. It’s the pocket of a family. It’s the pocket of a small business. It’s the pocket of a worker trying to get ahead,” she said.

“Just be honest, just be real, and just be transparent.”

While the government has not released any official data on the total cost of its net-zero plan, a 2024 analysis found that achieving a net-zero energy transition for the domestic market could cost Australia up to $5 trillion if net-zero targets are included.

Liberals Walk Away from Net Zero Targets

Hume’s comments came as the Liberal Party announced a decision to drop its 2050 emissions targets in mid-November following weeks of internal clashes.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley cited affordability as the key factor behind the move, saying that “affordable energy” for Australians must come before “responsible emissions reduction.”

“Our emissions reduction goals will never come at the expense of Australian families, and this is the principle that will guide every decision we take,” she said.

“To keep faith with that commitment, the Liberal Party will remove a net zero target from our policy, and if elected, we will remove the 43 percent 2030 target and its net zero by 2050 target from the Climate Change Act.”

At the same time, the Liberal Party remained open to coal-fired power to maintain power grid stability and lower Australians’ energy bills.