An Australian republic, renewable-powered supermarkets, recyclable packaging and the phasing out of Australia Post motorbikes.
These are just some of the promises, targets and predictions that years ago were set for 2025 – which is now finally here.
Here’s a look at what actually got achieved, what is in progress and what is not going to happen in the next 365 days.
Phasing out Australia Post motorcycles
Australia Post told a parliamentary inquiry it would phase out its fleet of postie motorcycles by 2025 to improve safety.
At the time, it said three-wheeled electric delivery vehicles would replace motorcycles – used for postal deliveries since the 1970s – because they are safer, can carry more parcels and have improved technology.
Australia Post is working towards the target, set for the end of the upcoming financial year.
“We’re proud to have 5,131 electric vehicles in our network, the largest electric delivery fleet in Australia,” a spokesperson said, with more than 3,800 eDVs being rolled out. It is understood that where terrain requires it, petrol motorbikes will instead be replaced with electric ones.
An Australian republic
Ten years ago, Bill Shorten declared a future Labor government would work towards a republic in the next decade. It didn’t happen.
“We can be an Australian republic, with an Australian head of state,” he told the Labor conference in 2015.
After the Queen’s death in 2022, a survey found 43% of respondents supported Australia becoming a republic.
At the time, Anthony Albanese swore his allegiance to King Charles III and said a republic was not “imminent”.
The defeat of the Indigenous voice to parliament in 2023 also shot down hopes of a republic referendum – which achieved a 45% yes vote in 1999.
100% packaging to be recyclable
Australia is not on track to meet this goal.
In 2018, the Turnbull government and states agreed to the 2025 national packaging targets, which included:
-
100% of packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable.
-
70% of plastic packaging recycled or composted.
-
50% average recycled content across all packaging.
-
Phasing out problematic and unnecessary single-use plastic packaging.
A review in April 2023 found those targets were not on track to be met.
Suzanne Toumbourou, the CEO of the Australian Council of Recycling, said stricter oversight on packaging regulation was needed.
Until thriving markets for recycled product derived from packaging can be ensured, “we’re not going to be able to meet any forms of targets,” she said.
100% renewable energy for Coles and Woolworths
Coles is on track to source all its electricity from renewable sources across its brands by 2025, it said.
The supermarket giant first announced the target in 2021. According to its latest sustainability report, it is on track to meet the target through “onsite solar and large-scale generation certificate arrangements which match our consumption”.
after newsletter promotion
Woolworths also has stated its intention to have all its operations in Australia and New Zealand running on 100% renewable electricity by 2025.
Its total renewable electricity was at 23.5% in 2024, an increase of 0.9% on the previous year. Woolworths said a new energy partnership with CleanCo in Queensland, together with contracts in other states, secure a pathway for 100% by 2025.
In 2021, Aldi said it had reached its target to power all operations with 100% renewables six months ahead of schedule.
Gender parity for Labor MPs
Shorten also used the 2015 Labor conference to declare that by 2025 half of the party’s MPs would be women – which has been achieved.
After the 2022 election and the Aston byelection in April 2023, the Labor party is 52% women – or 54 of the 103 caucus members.
In the House of Representatives, 48% of members are women (37 of 77) and in the Senate, 65.4% of senators are women (17 of 26).
NBN rollout
In 2022, Labor announced funding to improve the national broadband network and expand full-fibre access to 1.5m homes and businesses by 2025, mainly in outer city and regional areas.
An NBN spokesperson said it was on track to meet this by the end of the year, enabling more than 10m premises – or up to 90% of the fixed line network – to access close to gigabit speeds.
As of August, more than 8.84m premises were eligible to access its highest residential speed tier. The latest numbers are expected to be released in February.
75% renewables for South Australia
Wind and solar power in South Australia grew to 75% in 2023 – a target initially set for 2025 by the former Labor premier Jay Weatherill in 2018. The then prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, described the goal as “ideology and idiocy in equal measure”.
South Australia now leads the world in the integration of variable, or weather-dependent, renewables. The state government is attempting to legislate a target of 100% renewable energy by 2027.
Energy bills cut by $275
It’s the election promise that has come back to bite Labor.
Before the 2022 election, Albanese said Labor’s powering Australia policy would slash $275 off power bills by 2025. Instead, bills have gone up.
The Coalition has blamed the rise on new renewable energy, but analysts say it was largely due to fossil fuels, including the Ukraine war pushing up gas and coal prices. Regulators say prices for households should fall up to 7% in 2025.
