As I wrote recently, the Albanese government is subsidising wind and solar to try (and fail) to meet their crazy ‘net zero’ targets and make coal-fired power uneconomical. But they’re also subsidising the remaining coal stations, because even they know that wind and solar just cannot and will not supply reliable grid-level power.
But the subsidised ‘renewables’ are driving power prices so high that they’re also subsidising households, to try and disguise the impact of ‘renewables’ on power bills. Finally, they’re subsidising the critical last remaining metals smelters, which are being driven out of business by the staggering cost of the subsidised ‘renewable’ power.
All while our emissions still go up.
Even the Soviet Union would blink at such socialist madness.
Surely a government this dementedly out of control ought to be mincemeat for the opposition.
Not when the opposition is the pathetically wet coalition.
Leading Liberal moderate Andrew Bragg said Australia would be a “pariah state” if it withdrew from its international climate commitments, as the Coalition grapples with its position on net zero […]
“I think that this is a real moment for leadership now, not backsliding. Because our job here is not to worry about what people’s personal preferences might be, but setting out a long-term course for the nation, which protects and guards against climate change,” he told ABC News Breakfast.
“I don’t see how we could walk away from our commitment to reduce emissions. Virtually every country is in the Paris Agreement. Virtually every country has committed to net-zero emissions.”
And literally none of them are going anywhere near achieving ‘net zero’. They’re not even trying: not one – not one – major nation in the Paris Agreement has met its targets. The only exceptions are tiny, impoverished backwaters with no industry to speak of. But the biggest, loudest agitators? The EU? Canada? Britain? China? All have increased their emissions. Often dramatically.
Bragg is an utter idiot. Seriously, can these ‘moderate’ knob-jockeys stop even pretending and just fuck off and join the Greens now, instead of destroying the Liberals?
Because, without anyone in opposition having two brain-cells to rub together, let alone anything even resembling a spine, Labor are just going to keep getting away with utter lunacy like this.
As part of broad reforms to the default market offer system, the Albanese government will require retailers to offer free electricity over the midday period, when demand is low and solar generation is at its peak.
A command economy? Sounds an awful lot like socialism to me.
And it’s working about as well as can be expected.
While Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the reforms were proof that what’s “good for the planet is good for your pocket”, the peak body for electricity retailers has lashed the plan, claiming the announcement blindsided industry.
“Today’s announcement of a new regulated Solar Sharer Offer was a surprise to the industry and did not form part of the DMO Review consultation process,” Australian Energy Council chief executive Louisa Kinnear said.
“All limbs of government, and other agencies, are seeking to cut red tape and improve productivity and this change introduces a complex regulatory solution that delivers a customer outcome that is already being offered by many retailers.”
What does she expect? They’re subsidising wind and solar, subsidising coal, subsidising industries and subsidising households: does she really think they’re going to balk at implementing a command economy?
MST Marquee analyst Saul Kavonic told the Australian on Tuesday that the plan was “another poorly thought-through market intervention by a minister who thinks he knows more than everyone else in the energy market”.
“There is no free lunch and customers will ultimately still have to pay for this.”
Never mind, Boofhead will just offer more subsidies. Hey, it’s free money from the government!
