David Pocock
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Statement
Evidence
Score
Introduce a tax on the excess profits of large corporations (e.g. on banks, gas companies)
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock was critical of the Labor Government’s 2025 budget, noting there was “no move to properly address bracket creep or increase the taxation of gas companies and other multinationals”. David Pocock also has a track record of criticising low tax revenue from fossil fuel companies.
Introduce short-term price caps (e.g. on rent and gas prices)
There is no evidence to suggest David Pocock supports this policy.
Support a significant reduction of individuals employed by the public service
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock plans to “rebuild the capacity of the APS” (Australian Public Service), reversing trends of casualisation and outsourcing of work to contractors.
Prevent big companies from controlling the market and limiting consumer choice (e.g. supermarkets)
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock supports broad reform of sectors such as aviation, banking, and supermarkets, to increase competition and reduce prices for consumers.
Phase out tax concessions for property investors (e.g. negative gearing or capital gains tax discount)
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock’s plans include “sensible changes to negative gearing & capital gains tax”, rather than phasing out either concession.
Incentivise state/territory government to increase renter rights and protections
Type: Social Media, Website
Summary: David Pocock supports “longer leases and banning no cause evictions”. (Longer leases includes tenancies of five years.).
Increase investment in public and community housing
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock plans to significantly increase investment in the Housing Australia Future Fund, quadrupling the fund’s value to $40 billion
Allow first home-buyers to access their super to help purchase their first home
There is no evidence to suggest David Pocock supports this policy.
Incentivise state/territory governments to increase housing supply
Type: Voting Record
Summary: David Pocock has voted consistently for measures that increase housing affordability including supporting the National Housing Accord.
Source: https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/act/david_pocock/policies/117
Help first-home buyers with shared equity programs that would allow participants to co-purchase a home with the government
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock expressed support for expanding the current Help-to-Buy scheme, to expand it from 10,000 eligible households per year for four years, to 30,000 households per year ongoing.
Source: https://www.davidpocock.com.au/recommendations_for_more_better_targeted_help_on_housing
Introduce energy bill rebates
Source: Media Quote
Summary: Pocock has labelled Labor’s announced energy bill rebate as a “band-aid solution”, and criticised the rebates as being better spent on subsidising home electrification, solar panels, and batteries. He has indicated he would still support the measure.
https://www.northweststar.com.au/story/8924484/labors-energy-bill-relief-labelled-band-aid-solution/
Increase financial support for energy efficiency upgrades
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock plans to implement affordable government financing schemes to support home and business electrification, including the installation of solar, batteries, and swapping gas for electric appliances.
Source: https://www.davidpocock.com.au/supporting_business_and_a_strong_economy
Increase funding for community batteries that increase access to solar
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock has consistently indicated his support for household and community batteries: “This would include things like solar panels and household batteries but extends beyond to also explore the potential of vehicle to the home, vehicle to grid and shared community energy storage technologies”.
Strengthen regulations to prevent price-gouging by energy companies
Type: Voting Record
Summary: David Pocock has consistently voted in favour of making price gouging illegal.
Source: https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/act/david_pocock/policies/334
Make university free
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock has shown support for “sufficient fully funded places to meet future demand for skilled graduates”, but this is does not include making university free for all or wiping debt.
Source: https://www.davidpocock.com.au/improved_skills_and_education
Cut a portion of existing student debt
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock has pushed for student debt reductions, including Labor’s budget announcement of a 20% reduction in student debts.
Support more fee-free TAFE places
Type: Voting Record
Summary: David Pocock has voted to support the Free TAFE bill
Source: https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Statistics/Senate_StatsNet#/divisions/6464
Increase funding for public schools
Type: Media Quote
Summary: David Pocock supports a minimum of 25% when it comes to federal funding of public schooling.
Source: https://greens.org.au/news/media-release/crossbench-urges-labor-fully-fund-public-schools
Increase funding for and access to childcare subsidies
Type: Voting Record
Summary: David Pocock has historically voted in favour of increasing access to childcare subsidies.
Source: https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/act/david_pocock/policies/349
Stop fossil fuel project approvals and expansions
Type: Media Quote, Website
Summary: David Pocock introduced and will continue fighting for the Duty of Care Bill, which “seeks to compel the Federal Government to consider the health and wellbeing of children and future generations before approving new fossil fuel projects”. While this implies approval of new fossil fuel projects may be possible should this law pass, Pocock has publicly been highly critical of new coal and gas approvals, and his position is considered closer to opposing them entirely.
Source: https://www.davidpocock.com.au/climate_and_environment
Accelerate the rollout of renewable energy projects
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock advocates for the grid having 82% of energy generated by renewables by 2030.
Strengthen policies that ensure Australia’s biggest polluters genuinely cut their emissions
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock advocated for a strengthening to the Safeguard Mechanism, securing reforms with Labor, and has highlighted areas where he feels it could be improved, such as capping the use of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs).
Soucre: https://www.davidpocock.com.au/a_step_towards_more_credible_climate_policy
Increase investment in preventative health programs
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock plans to increase investments in preventative health programs and community sports, including in the ACT. Pocock is also advocating for various housing, cost-of-living, and gambling reform measures to prevent poor health (physical and mental) and support individuals to have living conditions and resources which allow them to look after their health.
https://www.davidpocock.com.au/making_canberra_count
https://www.davidpocock.com.au/health_policy_that_works_for_the_act
Make GP visits free or more affordable by increasing bulk billing incentives
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock is supportive of Labor’s nationwide $8.5 billion bulk-billing incentives, while also planning to advocate specifically for improvements to the ACT’s low bulk-billing rates and high gap fees.
Source: https://www.davidpocock.com.au/health_policy_that_works_for_the_act
Increase funding to train, attract, and retain more healthcare professionals, especially in regional areas
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock supports plans to grow the health workforce, via: strategies to attract and retain healthcare workers in the ACT; increasing the number of Commonwealth-supported places at ANU’s medical school; including medicine, psychology, and allied health students in the Commonwealth Paid Placement Scheme; and investigating reforms to specialist training to ensure specialists are trained where we most need them.
Source: https://www.davidpocock.com.au/health_policy_that_works_for_the_act
Increase funding for dental and mental health
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock supports the maintenance of recent increases in funding for mental health services, and advocates for the expansion of public dental services. There is no mention of mental health or dental care being fully included within Medicare.
Source: https://www.davidpocock.com.au/health_policy_that_works_for_the_act
Expand subsidies to make more prescription medicines cheaper
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock supports reforms to shorten wait times between medicines being approved as safe by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, and those medicines becoming available on the PBS.
Increase investment in large-scale renewable energy and storage
Type: Voting Record
Summary: David Pocock has voted to support measures such as the Climate Change Bill 2022 that would support greater investment in large-scale renewable energy.
Source: https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/act/david_pocock/policies/20
Require multinational gas companies to prioritise domestic supply, without supporting the approval of new gas projects
Type: Website
Summary: Pocock supports a gas reservation mechanism, and has opposed new coal and gas projects.
Source: https://www.davidpocock.com.au/australian_gas_should_support_australian_businesses_and_households
Invest in nuclear power as a future energy source, while extending the life of coal power and increasing gas use in the interim
Type: Media Quote
Summary: While Pocock is “not ideologically opposed to nuclear”, he has stated that based on costs, timelines, and the urgency of the climate crisis, nuclear “doesn’t make sense for Australia”.
Improve access to government-held information about government policies and decisions
Source: Voting Record
Summary: David Pocock has voted for measures that increase the accessibility of government data and documents and increasing political transparency.
Source: https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/act/david_pocock
Protect the ABC and SBS’s independence and funding
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock supports plans to restore the ABC’s funding “while fighting against political interference that undermines its independence”.
Require all lobbyists that meet with politicians to be publicly disclosed
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock supports the inclusion of in-house lobbyists in the Code of Conduct, strong penalties for breaches of the code, and the publication of ministerial diaries on a monthly basis.
Source: https://www.davidpocock.com.au/major_parties_shirk_serious_lobbying_reform
Make public transport more frequent and reliable
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock supports improved public transport within and external to the ACT and its surrounding areas.
Source: https://visionforcanberra.davidpocock.com.au/transport
Improve bike paths and footpaths to encourage active transport
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock supports Canberra becoming more friendly to active transport methods, like biking and walking, through the establishment of new active transport routes and infrastructure.
Source: https://visionforcanberra.davidpocock.com.au/sustainability
Increase access and affordability of electric and low-emissions vehicles
Type: Website
Summary: David Pocock supported the Labor Government’s national fuel efficiency standards, noting “There is scope for even more ambition in what the government has announced to ensure a quick catch up and get us on par with countries like the US earlier.”
Source: https://www.davidpocock.com.au/strong_fuel_efficiency_standards
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