The numbers are breathtaking. On the east coast of Australia (which means most households in the nation) they are looking at 15 – 20% increases next month on electricity bills which are already at bleeding point.
Get a grip on these numbers:
Charis Chang, News.com —
POWER prices are set to rocket after three major retailers announced increases of up to 20 per cent and $600 a year for the average customer in some states.
Origin, EnergyAustralia and AGL have all announced price increases for electricity and gas starting from July 1.
Small businesses may be the hardest hit, especially Origin customers in South Australia, which will see prices rise by a whopping $1453 a year when increases to gas and electricity bills are combined.
The biggest increase for residential customers will be for AGL customers in ACT, who will pay an extra $579 a year for a combined electricity and gas rise.
In NSW, residential EnergyAustralia customers will see electricity prices increase by up to 19.6 per cent. Origin Energy customers will get a 16.1 per cent rise.
The price hikes will take effect from July 1.
Many are blaming a “failure of energy policy”, but miss the point entirely — this is not failure but success. The aim of those energy policies was to close down coal fired stations and it worked. The Renewable Energy Target, the carbon tax, and other anti “carbon” policies did what they were supposed to do and forced the closure of both the Port Augusta power stations and Hazelwood (which supplied as much as 5% of Australia’s electricity). That left us dependent on gas instead of having the flexibility to ignore the current gas price outlandish cost.
NSW and SA customers walloped:
NSW, which came close to blackouts amid soaring temperatures in February, faces the steepest percentage increases for power, with business bills set to rise 18 per cent or an average $748 a year while households will pay about $282 more, up 16.1 per cent.
But South Australians, who faced blackouts from September and who already pay most for power, will face the biggest dollar increases. Businesses are set to pay an average $920 or 15.3 per cent more, while households will pay $313 or 15.9 per cent more.
Turnbull’s answer is to take a problem caused by too much government meddling and regulation and make it more regulated and meddled, now messing with the gas market.
If customers could use more coal fired electricity, that would ease pressure on gas supplies. If states were allowing more gas exploration, that too would help. The answer is less regulation not more. The free market would solve this.
You have to think even the socialists and especially the socialists are aghast at their impost on ordinary people. They are the oppressors. For what?
Soak the rich has always been the policy of the left of politics and the high salaried media and university elites.
Endless ‘government’ money which is nothing more than stealing. Now they are facing the fact that the people they are supposedly supporting are the ones who cannot heat or cool their homes at any price. These are people who do not even pay tax and 80% of people are tax negative, receiving more than they pay in tax. They are all hit hard.
Then Labor is killing jobs. The whole car industry. The smelting industry (Steel, Aluminum and more). Glass manufacturers. Whole cities based on metals like Whyalla, Newcastle, Port Pirie, Portland and many more.
Everyone out of work. No one paying taxes. No one can afford to pay the electricity bills and all due to the socialist Green energy.
Blame the greedy capitalists, the failure of the market, international gas cartels, greedy corporate executives, except everyone knows that is not true.
The only jobs booming are the Green public service jobs which are driving Queensland into bankruptcy, borrowing billions overseas to pay wages of people who do nothing. Even they will have trouble cooling their homes.
There will be no disposable income, no holidays, no jobs, no Christmas presents or birthdays in Turnbull’s new Australia. He is looking to his next big UN job and keeping his cash overseas. Shorten too has never had a real job in his life. These are our new self serving politicians. They could not care less, as long as the world is saved from plant food. Now voters have a choice between disaster and more disaster. Peter Slipper, Craig Thomson, Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd, Stephen Conroy, Nicole Roxon, Julie Bishop, Brownyn Bishop, Jaqui Lambie, Bill Shorten and Malcolm Turnbull. All conviction politicians doing their best for the voters supported by their ABC.
611
It’s just the same in the UK. Whilst you could expect the Tories to keep close to the gravy train for any opportunity to make money, Labour are constantly complaining about fuel poverty and both blame the nasty power companies. The information they need for better decisions is out there; they just don’t want to/can’t be bothered to use it, in spite of being pointed in the right direction (“stop sending me links”). Useful idiots like Brian Cox and Prince Charles don’t help, either. It would be nice if at least some politicians just asked the question: “Are you sure?”. Looks as if The Donald will have to show them the way.
220
If it does not work for capitalism, the middle class and workers it Works for NeoMarxism?
10
If you want to get rid the Middle Class you have to start by getting rid of capitalism?
10
These are the same eco-Marxists whose vision of dispensing with national sovereignty in favour of a borderless love-fest for all inspired the Trojan horse of ‘climate change’. Only ever the eco-prosperity wrecking ball of the Left, the small print seems clear. The labour force will be free (encouraged) to leave their collapsed economies turned subsistence level agrarian and move (even if it means walking) to regions where a job market and the cheapest slave labour exists. The Green penchant for ‘double benefit’ theory ensures a significant proportion may likely perish en route.
232
National sovereignty should probably extend to *not* selling AUstralian gas cheaper to Japanese consumers than Australians are paying for it, don’t you think?
44
You obviously don’t think….
Australia relies on its exports.
Its called business.
Do try to keep up… If you can.
11
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/its-a-national-disgrace-federal-government-slammed-on-prrt-20170702-gx2vuh.html
“Australia is set to eclipse Qatar as the largest exporter of gas in the world by 2020 but will receive just a fraction of the revenue, $800 million compared to Qatar’s $26.6 billion, under the current arrangements.”
10
They wanted socialism, now they are reaping the rewards
271
Another member of the OZ family. Do you know T.F. Oz?
66
There’s creeping Socialism and there’s creepy Socialism. Rule by the lowest common denominator (s) ie: politicians,lawyers and academics. Augean stables.
171
May I recommend that Manufacturing Industries on the east coast re-locate to WA where we have cheaper gas & cheaper and more reliable electricity (thanks to mainly gas fired base load energy generation). RE plays a very small role in WA’s energy mix – thank god. The Smelting (steel, aluminium & more), Car & Glass Manufacturing Industries should come to WA – we welcome you with open arms. We have not been sucked in by the “greenie” madness. We have all the natural resources in WA – high quality hematite iron ore, bauxite, abundant natural gas etc.
331
Your turn is coming, no part of Australia is missing from the master plan.
When I last considered acquisition of a manufacturing business in Australia around 17-years ago after much deliberation and calculations I decided it would be better to be manufacturing in another country.
I was right looking back from the present day.
341
So here in Oz we could end up with crippling youth unemployment numbers (~40-50%) like currently being experienced in a number of EU member nations. The tragedy is that this “green madness” (belief in the AGW myth) dictates that one has to fast track to hopelessly expensive & unreliable RE for a nations energy supply. At least the USA will be immune from this madness – California excepted. Logic says that Asia will boom while the west, except the USA, will disintegrate economically thanks to this evil “greenie web of deceit”. But it will reach a point when folk will say “I am as mad as hell & I am not going to take it anymore” (from the famous Peter Finch quote in the 1976 film Network) – it is at this point that the “Watermelons” will be crushed once and forever.
161
No part is off the plan, but the plan isn’t completed yet. King Geo is on the right track. If the tide can be turned, WA may be the first to recover. Hard with the ALP in government, though.
20
I’ve seen a lot of reports about solar with batteries taking center stage in WA and reserve arrangements with gas generators and demand reduction schemes being reduced.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-07/power-reforms-will-save-millions-nahan/7308174
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-28/wa-to-triple-rooftop-solar-renewables-report-says/8479778
Then again, these are ABC reports so your report may be more accurate.
80
Solar with batteries?
Cripes I’ve been doing the residential solar PV figures for near on ten years. I still can’t find a way to make them give me a return that beats inflation. And I live in Perth – one of the sunniest cities in Australia.
Last time I did the analysis I concluded I’d turn ninety years of age before domestic solar would beat buying directly off the grid. That’s 19.2 years into the 20 year life of a domestic solar installation. The donkeys who buy solar PV for domestic use demonstrate just how innumerate and gullible a large proportion of the Australian population really is. Mind you, a FiT of $.071/KwH is part of the problem and a growing (watch this year’s WA budget) Service Charge will keep it uneconomic for a long time yet.
Put batteries into the already inefficient mix and I’d need to set a new world record for longevity to even look like getting a return, and even then I doubt I’d be in front.
I’m not going to use the fra-d word here because I’ll go into moderation, but the ACCC needs to have a good hard look at the promises made and the advertising undertaken by the purveyors of domestic solar products.
111
Wind power with batteries has been around for a long time where mains power was not available, used just for household power, i.e. lighting and maybe a washing machine. Nobody maintained them once the mains power became available.
Our first mains power came 20 km from council owned diesel generators in our local town in 1954. Before too many years the diesel power gave way to a 33kv line to the coal fields power 80km further on.
I moved later to SWER power which had been installed in 1965, supplied by a cement factory 70 km away, with the cheapest power in NSW. Later that system was amalgamated into the state grid and we lost our cheap power.
Which reminds me. Power stations don’t have to be as big as they are. Reasonable efficiency should be available at a smaller size.
But, google Redbank Power Station. In the Wikipedia entry there I found this paragraph.
“According to Carbon Monitoring for Action (CARMA), in 2007 Redbank emitted more climate change and global warming causing greenhouse gases per unit of electricity generated than any other power station in Australia.[3] However no data from the actual plant, operator or Australian Government is actually used to base these approximate assumptions on. CARMA uses a statistical model that predicts CO2 emissions given the size, age, fuel type, estimated capacity utilization, and engineering specifications of individual plants.”
50
You forget the other big advantage of moving to WA.
With Perth completely abandoned as a ‘Ghost Metropolis’ leasing office space within the CBD is very affordable 😀
10
‘Over the past five years there has been a very clear turnaround in Australian public opinion on climate change. A majority of Australian adults see global warming as a serious problem that needs to be addressed, regardless of cost: 54% of Australian adults (up 18 points since 2012) say ‘global warming is a serious and pressing problem [and] we should begin taking steps now even if this involves significant costs’.
Lowy Institute
53
I always think these studies reveal more about the inherent biases of the authors, than the truth of anything they study.
90
I was not asked and I do not know anybody that was asked to comment.
201
They didn’t ask me either, but this is the state of play.
‘Energy security has been high on the agenda in the past year. The responses to our Poll question on energy security may come as a surprise to policymakers. However, Australians’ unequivocal support for renewables in this year’s Poll aligns with all of our previous polling on attitudes to renewables and fossil fuels.’
33
Who commissioned the study?
40
It sounds feasible to me. From the time of the election of the Abbott government the AGW push greatly increased its promotion around the world. That extra promotion has paid dividends for them. It is the key factor in the findings of this survey.
We may still win the science war, but the propaganda war is being lost. Al Gore succeeded in blocking the abolition of our RET, and now that Hazelwood has closed we have a permanent deficit in generation capacity which looks like forcing on our economy the acceptance of expensive electric power.
10
I was contacted in a phone survey on this subject and as soon as I answered a few questions indicating that I did not support the BS about Catastrophic Anthropogenic Climate Change, I was told that they had enough responses representing that viewpoint and terminated the interview. Kinda makes you wonder doesn’t it.
Also, the questions asked and how they are interpreted is very important. They can draw some odd conclusions that are not supported by the results of the survey. This is obvious in the studies declaring declaring that 97% of scientist agree that man is causing climate change. All three have been shown to be bogus.
Of course ‘Alison In Wonder Land’ use of terms like climate change when they actually mean Catastrophic Anthropogenic Climate Change adds to the confusion.
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.” “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master – – that’s all.”
Not many think that the climate is not changing but many fewer believe that CACC is occurring or going to occur.
John
20
That’s a standard way to reach a 97% consensus in a survey.
10
Do not expect critical thinking or discernment from the frightened masses. My wife entertained 20 or so academics last weekend.I stayed for an hour to settle them in then left for the Bierhaus for a quick half dozen.
92
Expect ‘critical theory’ from a gathering of “academics.” That you managed an hour says much for your devotion to your wife. I hope a few brownie points were charted.
131
‘These results are drawn from the 2017 Lowy Institute Poll, a nationally representative telephone survey of 1200 Australian adults, conducted on behalf of the Lowy Institute by The Social Research Centre between 1 and 21 March 2017.’
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/majority-australians-believe-global-warming-serious-problem
The two questions are on that page.
I wonder where they picked their phone numbers from. I don’t think more than half of people are that gullible. 42% of respondents see Donald Trumps presidency as a critical threat – so a lot of media sheeple responded to the poll.
81
Those figures don’t surprise me at all. A majority of Australians are committed to RE. Many believe that RE is free and it must be the electricity from fossil fuels that is driving up the price. Politicians, the ABC and the education departments have been reinforcing this belief and it’s going to be nearly impossible to turn it around. There’s a public commitment to more RE and the current high costs of electricity are seen as validating the population’s belief in pushing for even more RE.
I don’t see this attitude changing until the Australian population is close to 100% RE and destitute. The fossil fuel electricity industry has been successfully demonized and that attitude isn’t turned around overnight, particularly when there is no political or media incentive to do so.
110
Well then el gordo, it’s time to get the latest Santer et al study on climate models into every mail box.
That might make the ignorant less so. The stupid we can’t help, I regret to say.
50
It needs to be in a 15 second sound bite and not a 30 minute scientific paper for the population to get the message.
40
These CSIRO surveys do not agree with the Lowey survey they are saying from 2010 to 2014 there was NOT a great movement in the attitudes of Australians to climate change and in 2014 38.8% of the people polled said they believed climate change was mostly from NATURAL causes.
and NOT even 50% believed it was human induced!
20
https://www.csiro.au/en/Research/LWF/Areas/Social-economic/Climate-change/Climate-attitudes-survey
00
BS !
10
So what do you tell the average Jo who says Coal stations need to be shut down as they are stinking dirty places that kill workers in the whole industry from mine to poles, and we are running out of coal anyway. Then laugh at you with group support.
10
I understand that the Hip Pocket Nerve is what motivates voters more than any other factor when they are considering who to vote for.
In 2019 I trust that most voters will choose not to vote for the two alternatives for government who are jointly responsible for this energy crisis.
141
Status quo is the most likely outcome at the 2019 election, here is the Lowy poll again.
‘Australians clearly prioritise government investment in renewables over traditional energy sources. Most of them (81%) want the government to ‘focus on renewables, even if this means we may need to invest more in infrastructure to make the system more reliable’.
44
81% of 1200 people.
The full poll:
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/2017-lowy-institute-poll
‘Methodology:
For this year’s annual Poll fieldwork, the Social Research Centre conducted a total of 1200 interviews by fixed and mobile telephone, with a sample designed to be nationally representative of all Australians 18 years and older. Quotas were set for each state and territory, with broad age-group and gender quotas. Interviewers continued making calls until each quota was filled. Within each geographic area, telephone numbers were randomly selected from regularly updated active residential and mobile phone number databases.
To ensure the sample included those people who tend to spend a lot of time away from home, a system of call backs and appointments was incorporated.
The results were then weighted to reflect the demographic profile of the Australian population aged 18 years and over, using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
These weights were used in the production of all the tables for this report. On a truly random sample of 1200 the maximum sampling variance (or ‘margin of error’) is 2.8%, which means there is a 95% chance that responses from the sample fall within a range of 2.8% either side of the notional collective response of the whole population. Since these samples were stratified (by state/territory, age-group and sex), the error figure is a guide only. Where the results for a sub-sample are reported, the margin of error is greater.’
I’m guessing that most thinking people would tell the caller that they are not interested and hang up. People who like to talk more than think would be more likely to respond to the poll.
Mobile phones vs landline would also affect the outcome. (Mobile phone zombies think less).
61
I guess if you phone enough people, you will eventually get the results you want….?
40
Our side needs to organise a poll to prove a majority of Australians believe global warming is not happening, based on the relevance of the hiatus.
40
Having read the questions and results, I would have to say that they must have been very selective in their choice of interviewees.
20
Australia can’t foord that.
There MUST BE a complete and utter dismantling of this global warming CRAP otherwise it will be the total destruction of our economy.
DO NOT VOTE FOR ANY CANDIDATE THAT SUPPORTS THIS S.IT !
20
“foord “……. afford
00
worse, supermarket prices will rise as will everything else people buy.
meanwhile, States that completely screw up their economies with CAGW/renewable energy policies will be given increasing shares of other States’ GST revenue. time to fight back:
21 Jun: ABC America: Oklahoma officials, others dispute California climate claim
By Ken Miller and Kathleen Ronayne, Associated Press
Officials from Oklahoma and more than a dozen other states have sent two letters to California’s insurance commissioner (Dave Jones), asking that he stop pressing insurance companies to publicly disclose fossil fuel investments and divest from the coal industry, saying it only confuses consumers and unnecessarily brings politics into the insurance market…
“I think it’s an absurd and political response from attorneys general and one governor of oil, gas and coal states,” Jones said Wednesday. “In reading their letter, they’re quite explicit that the concern is about their oil, gas and coal industry.
“Many of them are climate change deniers.” Jones told The Associated Pres on Wednesday, in response to a letter from Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter, signed by 11 other attorneys general and Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin…
Hunter said he does not deny climate change and that Jones’ assertion about financial risk is wrong, threatens energy and insurance companies, thousands of jobs in those industries, and violates the U.S. Constitution’s commerce clause.
“He was trying to advance environmental policy at the expense of the companies he is tasked to regulate,” Hunter said.
“The whole idea is wrong-headed,” according to Hunter, whose letter dated Monday says renewable energy companies may be a greater financial risk.
“Nearly a hundred solar companies have failed or gone bankrupt in recent years,” Hunter wrote, mentioning Solyndra, SunEdison, SolarWorld and Suniva…
Hunter said he’s considering filing a lawsuit if Jones doesn’t put a stop to his request. Jones said that threat will not stop him…
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/oklahoma-officials-dispute-california-climate-claim-48194077
71
Have you noticed how commentators split hairs about how long a dog has been dead , instead of asking the real “elephant in the room” question of why it died in the first place?
Classic misdirection. Problem is, the population seem too terminally stupid to notice…
72
20 Jun: Paul Homewood: Decarbonization poses risks to Europe’s grid operators says Moody’s
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2017/06/20/decarbonization-poses-risks-to-europes-grid-operators-says-moodys/
20 Jun: UK Telegraph: Iain Withers: Giant gas well closure fuels UK energy security fears
The UK’s largest storage site for natural gas is to permanently close due to safety fears, raising concerns about the country’s growing reliance on gas imports and vulnerability to volatile prices.
Centrica, the owner of British Gas, said it had had to close its Rough storage site in the North Sea after a safety review found failures in its ageing wells.
The move will rob the UK of around 70pc of its natural gas storage capacity, likely leading to a need for more imports from countries such as Norway and Qatar.
The 32 year-old site off the coast of Yorkshire had capacity to meet a tenth of the UK’s peak winter gas needs…
The news will add to concerns about Britain’s energy security, as North Sea gas reserves fall and archaic nuclear and coal power plants are closed down…
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/06/20/giant-gas-closure-fuels-uk-energy-security-fears/
20 Jun: UK Telegraph: Iain Withers: Small power plants clobbered by Ofgem subsidy change
Energy watchdog Ofgem has decided to slash generous subsidies paid to small power plant owners in a move it says will cut consumers’ energy bills.
Ofgem has cut subsidy payments for small plants producing electricity at peak times from £47 per kilowatt to between just £3 and £7 per kilowatt. The change will be phased in from next year, to be fully implemented by 2021.
The regulator believes the changes will prevent market distortion and reduce consumers’ energy bills by up to £370m a year.
But small power plant owners immediately criticised the decision, saying it would threaten the UK’s ability to keep the lights on and deter smaller players from entering the market…
The current network charging system affords benefits to small power plants that are not available to bigger players.
It has led to a boom of small generators, including polluting diesel generators, which thanks to the subsidies have been able to undercut larger rivals…
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/06/20/small-power-plants-clobbered-ofgem-subsidy-change/
51
The headline in yesterday’s Oz advising Turnbull to ”rediscover market forces” by Graham Lloyd turned out to be a recommendation for a watered down RET, like the ‘Khrushchev Thaw’ when the rigorous Soviet consumer goods supply was (temporarily) relaxed.
Ideally consumer decisions should dictate the supply sources, not government diktat, but I’m afraid it has all gone too far now and the best way out may be to let the ‘renewables fever’ run its course through the insane policies of the next ALP-Greens government.
92
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-22/donald-trump-solar-panels-would-see-mexico-wall-pay-for-itself/8642624
Maybe we need to build a wall like the Donald.
20
Then again you have the CE of AGL, Andy Vesey who believes base load power will be delivered by renewables.”Technology is driving this” !!!!!!! WTF! Thanks tax payers.This fool is typical of what we’re dealing with. These people should be on trial in MY opinion.
272
I also read this article. As usual from Vesey, no data to back his assertions and no journalist ever questions his statements. And you can’t challenge them with comments on the paper’s website. Not sure why the company is promoting renewables.
90
He is possibly pushing “renewables” because he has to run a company that is ham-strung by restrictive government regulations and ever-increasing costs while his competition is being given handouts.
70
AGL do own peaking plant. The more renewables there are, the more money AGL can make from short term high prices. They are planning more open cycle gas turbines and a gas import terminal. “Renewables” = gas base load.
100
Thanks greggg.
Gees, you’ve nailed it it triplicate (plus an original).
Spot on. Tell Graham Lloyd at “The Australian” – but probably no need because he’s reading Jo’s blog, I’m sure.
40
Thanks greggg.
Gees, you’ve nailed it in triplicate (plus an original).
Spot on. Tell Graham Lloyd at “The Australian” – but probably no need because he’s reading Jo’s blog, I’m sure.
10
AGL = AHOLES !
10
He is absolutely right – future technology is driving this. Now we wait for that technology.
00
Like a drunk who can’t stop drinking, so are the Socialists drunk with power…..
More taxes more taxes is the refrain, like animals driven mad by parasites that bore into their brains, the Left is now squeezing on thus countries collectives throats.
If the population don’t wake up to this, as they flood hospitals with pnuemonia and other diseases, then surely they are but canon fodder to ” the cause”.
The ugly reality us that when the population has been conditioned to suckle at the teat of govt, telling the truth curteosy of right wing politicians becomes a revolutionary act….
This malaise is symptomatic of deeper societal ills, ergo:
“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”
( 2 Tim 4:3 )
142
Like a drunk who can’t stop drinking, so are the Socialists drunk with power…..
More taxes more taxes is the refrain, like animals driven mad by parasites that bore into their brains, the Left is now squeezing on thus countries collectives throats.
If the population don’t wake up to this, as they flood hospitals with pnuemonia and other diseases, then surely they are but canon fodder to ” the cause”.
The ugly reality us that when the population has been conditioned to suckle at the teat of govt, telling the truth curteosy of right wing politicians becomes a revolutionary act….
This malaise is symptomatic of deeper societal ills, ergo:
“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”
( 2 Tim 4:3 )
61
Duplicate post, sorry…
51
Don McClean
51
They will never listen!, when people have been subjected to decades of creeping Marxist dogmas many will become socially rudderless with a broken moral compass, in Australia we have a generalised class of people called “Bogans” or “Westies” that are basically considered to be the low achievers in society but when you look into the demographic of people that have embraced and preached the virtues of cultural Marxism in Australia it’s the academics, professionals, political class that’s led the way.
My entire working life has been around these so called lower classes and believe me that the majority have called bu$$s#it on global warming, PC and any other bureaucratic control measures, I’ll be marching this Sunday in Melbourne in honour of our national flag while highly educated people on the other side of police lines will be hurling self contradicting insults at us because they’re too emotionally crippled to hold a rational debate.
Considering the alternatives to compliance I’ll stick with my lowly brothers and sisters and die happy that I’ll never be that stupid.
131
Time for a levy on gas and coal exports to cover the local energy extortion…
17
So tell us how that’s going to turn out would you please Brad?
Do you think there might be just one or two unintended consequences?
71
Sometimes you have to think the reason for all this is the decision makers have their fingers in the pot. In the same way the Union Scandals increased construction costs to the benefit of the union leaders, this “energy crisis” increases our power prices to the benefit of big business (AGL) and big government Malcolm. I wonder if there is a money trail!
61
Its a coming together of noble cause corruption and free market forces, there is no obvious money trail.
Nyunggai Warren Mundine clearly expresses our exasperation.
‘Australia has among the biggest coal and uranium deposits in the world. Most mining of rare earth metals, and a lot of manufacturing of wind/solar equipment, occurs in China. Governments are taking Australia down a path where we export coal and uranium for other countries’ cheap, reliable thermal power, while we close our own coal plants, shun nuclear and import wind/solar infrastructure from other countries. We’ll reject technologies we have a competitive advantage in and embrace those we don’t. And pay more for it.’
Herald Sun
223
Where did these red thumbs go to school? Did they learn anything at all?
Can they think?
50
This could be a scandal bigger than the dimensions of WA Inc.
Noble cause corruption is still corruption.
30
Congrats to Australians, the people with the biggest Moral Bank accounts in the world!
60
The thing that I find weird is that the extra $315 a year is about 8 times what a woman might spend on tampons ($7@32). Why did I bring that up? You should have seen the up roar over women having to pay the sales tax on tampons.
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/its-2017-carrie-bickmore-delivers-epic-tampon-tax-smackdown-20170620-gwv790.html
70
The revenue from this tax is a stopgap measure.
00
Make this foolishness human to people. For most, $50 a month could be spend on clothing. Thus, the Greenies and the CO2 lunatics are demanding Aussies go barefoot and naked.
40
What other public service could be dis- managed in such a fashion?
Green propagand a and corporate greed bulldozing everything in their way..
“Poor fella my country”.
100
All the rot about RET has to stop.
The CO2 horsesh*t has to stop.
Frydenburg has said recently that there is no silver bullet for the power problem.
There bloody well is. SCRAP SUBSIDIES.
190
Silver bullet?
Perhaps an element with a different atomic number might do the trick?
40
I suggest 92 might be a suitable number.
30
Meanwhile, in the land of Joh Bjelke-Petersen, Premier Pluck-a-chook has added FIFTEEN THOUSAND civil serpents over 26 months; and average SIXTY every business day. Poor fella my country to be sure!
161
Rod
And in that period the time to get a kangaroo damage mitigation permit approved has gone from around 3 days to more like 40.
Efficiency ++
40
Well of course it did, they are busy hiring after all. Those interviews and write ups take time.
10
http://reneweconomy.com.au/nem-watch/
10
The electricity bills and the constant blackouts will put paid to the cagw nonsense. We just have to wait it out until these chickens come home to roost. The message will not get through until then.
81
AGL are copping a fair bit of stick here for the statements being made by the CEO in support of renewables and for their ads about transitioning.
Guess what, Origin is no different – Origin Energy hikes power prices up to 18pc, says Finkel is ‘crucial’
All the energy companies are now playing the game that the government has set up via the LRET and now The Finkel Report and are desperately performing PR to justify the necessary price hikes without overtly blaming the government policies that have undermined the economics of the electricity market. Sadly, none of them have a CEO with the guts to call out the scam that underlies the whole thing – that renewables and storage cannot appreciably reduce carbon output (even without recognising CAGW as false concept).
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Agree 100%.
“Sadly, none of them have a CEO with the guts to call out the scam that underlies the whole thing”
Nor did our Chief Scientist Finkel who had the opportunity to review the science but defaulted to the CAGW hoax.
Finkel failed the science test as well as the personnel integrity bit. Can’t blame AGL or Origin who have to follow National trends if they want to stay in business.
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***China’s not thinking about EMISSIONS:
20 Jun: UK Telegraph:Jon Yeomans: Rio Tinto spurns Glencore offer for Australian coal mines in favour of Chinese bid
The Anglo-Australian group said that Yancoal was the preferred bidder because unlike Glencore it had already achieved regulatory clearances for the deal, meaning it could complete sooner…
Australia-listed Yancoal is majority owned by China’s Yanzhou, which is in turn owned by state-backed entities…
However, Yancoal will have to pay a break fee of $100m, up from a reported $24m, if it walks away from the deal…
Rio is backing out of coal mining to focus on iron ore and steel while China ***is looking to shore up its energy supply. Although the country is trying to cut back pollution from coal-fired plants, the commodity is expected to remain in long-term demand across Asia for the next two decades – prompting Glencore’s interest in gatecrashing the deal.
In its offer earlier this month, Switzerland-based Glencore pointed out it already had mines adjacent to Rio’s operations in the Hunter Valley, offering potential savings if the two businesses were combined. It also has regulatory approval from Japan, which imports the bulk of the area’s coal…
Because Rio Tinto is 10pc owned by Chinalco, which is also backed by the Chinese government, the sale will count as a related party transaction. As such the deal must go before a vote by Rio Tinto shareholders in the UK and Australia next week…
Tyler Broda, an analyst at RBC, said: “The Rio Tinto board’s decision to go with the Yancoal bid for Coal & Allied could now see Glencore sharpen its pencils to see whether it can find a way to make a superior bid.”
Meanwhile Rio’s hunt for a new chairman to replace the outgoing Jan Du Plessis suffered a blow today after the board member leading the search, John Varley, announced his resignation. The former Barclays boss has been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud by the Serious Fraud Office relating to the British bank’s capital raise in 2008.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/06/20/rio-tinto-spurns-glencore-offer-australian-coal-mines-favour/
so why should we be, Matthew Warren? another one of those articles that make me angry:
22 Jun: AFR: Matthew Warren: The National Electricity Market itself could collapse if we fail to act on Finkel
(Matthew Warren is chief executive of the Australian Energy Council)
Energy policy in Australia is a mess. Prices are rising sharply, reliability is deteriorating and we aren’t getting our emissions down at the rate we need to.
By almost any measure, the death of the National Electricity Market will be a colossal policy failure resulting in higher prices, re-regulation and un-reform. It will be a rejection of a market-based economy and a return to the government paternalism of the 1960s, and all that it entails.
The destabilising force in all of this is climate change. Not the risk of climate change itself, which is manageable, but the ideological responses to it. At one end of the spectrum we have been told how the electricity system can magically and costlessly transform to 100 per cent renewable energy. At the other we are now being asked to ignore climate change altogether and just build new coal-fired power stations. Neither view is anchored in reality.
Let’s review where we are: since 2012 we have had 10 coal-fired generators exit the NEM, taking more than 5000MW of firm, dispatchable capacity with them. Based on the age of Australia’s fleet of coal-fired generators built in the post-war boom, we can expect to see the retirement of another 15,000MW over the next 15 to 20 years.
Retiring power stations at this rate without replacement is creating a serious supply-demand imbalance…
New generation will have to meet both an emissions and a reliability requirement. Coal struggles on emissions. Renewables struggle on reliability. A combination of technologies will be required…
http://www.afr.com/opinion/columnists/the-national-electricity-market-itself-could-collapse-if-we-fail-to-act-on-finkel-20170622-gwwa7d
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comment in moderation, beginning with “20 Jun: UK Telegraph:Jon Yeomans: Rio Tinto spurns Glencore offer for Australian coal mines in favour of Chinese bid”.
where are politicians’ headlines expressing outrage about these price hikes on behalf of their constituents?
22 Jun: ABC: WA householders hit with a $440 hike to bills and fees as Government attempts budget repair
By Eliza Laschon
The daily charge residents pay to be connected to Western Power will almost double, resulting in a 10.9 per cent increase on the cost from last year…
The Government has also increased the energy assistance payment to $300 – a $66 hike – for those with Commonwealth concession cards, and reinstated a financial counselling program scrapped by the previous Barnett government…
In another cost-saving measure, the Government announced it would slug mining companies with a 17 per cent increase in shipping fees at the Dampier and Port Hedland ports by October…
Liberal leader Mike Nahan said the Government had given no warning to some of the worst hit.
“It’s hit certain people very hard,” Dr Nahan said.
“The self-funded retiree who uses little electricity and is not on a government pension card will get particularly hard hit.”…
“A year ago we increased electricity prices by 3 per cent and they [Labor] said it was heartless, miserly and mean. They’ve increased it nearly four-fold.”…
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-22/wa-govt-raises-fees-and-charges-power-bills-up-169/8642372
ABC has expressed no outrage over the hikes in electricity prices, whilst still finding time to go overboard with their Trump Derangement Syndrome. ABC staff have their electricity paid for by the Australian taxpayers. more’s the pity.
it’s not enough that Milbank & WaPo spew out anti-Trump propaganda 24/7 in the US; now we have ABC providing a taxpayer-funded platform for more of the same.
can u believe Milbank says –
“***This has been really, the last few months, been a new ***golden age of journalism.”
& Leigh Sales doesn’t laugh out loud? as for “no drama, Obama” – LOL:
21 Jun: ABC 7.30 Report: Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank on Donald Trump
LEIGH SALES: It feels like we’ve done more interviews on this program about US politics since Donald Trump was elected than in the entire Obama administration.
Is there any sense yet that any Trump fatigue is setting in, either amongst voters or amongst the White House press corps covering him?
DANA MILBANK: We used to have the phrase “no drama, Obama”, which is why you didn’t so many segments on that.
And now it’s all drama all the time. I’m having Trump fatigue, that’s why I’m here in Australia, I’m trying to escape a bit of it at home.
LEIGH SALES: What are the risks though, if say, the White House press corps becomes a bit bored by Trump, ‘shock and awe’ is sort of the new normal?
DANA MILBANK: I don’t think it is happening, though. If anything, you see it, a real push-back from the press corps in the United States, as well as the other institutions, the courts are being more strict with the President, even Republicans in Congress are being more strict.
***This has been really, the last few months, been a new ***golden age of journalism…
LEIGH SALES: Washington insiders have been closely watching an election in the past 24 hours in the US state of Georgia for a House of Representatives seat. The Democrats hoped they would have a chance of that, but the Republicans have held on to it.
Is there anything that that result tells us about the bigger picture?
DANA MILBANK: It tells us not to get carried away. There is a backlash forming against Trump…
So there is a backlash against Trump…
LEIGH SALES: The Democrats were of course utterly demoralised by Hillary Clinton’s defeat. Is there any sign that they are coalescing around any sort of new national figures, or indeed any ideas other than ‘not Trump’?
DANA MILBANK: No, but ‘not Trump’ is an awfully powerful unifying message now…
For the moment just saying, “We’re not Trump” is a pretty powerful one…
The question is how do you turn all of that energy, the anti-Trump energy into an effective political movement?
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2017/s4689650.htm
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Don’t put too much faith in Trump. He’s been all talk so far and that isn’t getting the USA anywhere. We’re waiting patiently (at present) for some results. When I start seeing some actual swamp draining and major investments in “roads and bridges” (infrastructure) instead of public grandstanding, then I might have a few congratulatory words
for the guy.
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Really? Here’s a quick list off the top of my hat.
Finished Dakota Access Pipeline and reversed Obama’s “Land Grab” EO, freeing US to use its own natural resources
Fracking
Paris Accord exit
TPP
Cuba
Supreme Court appointment
Georgia election +1
Gutting EPA
Ban on WH officials lobbying for foreign powers
Rebuilding depleted military
Fired Comey the leaker
Rolled back more regulations than any President in history with his two for one executive order
Enacted 34 laws as at 17 May 2017 – more than any President since Truman
Driving employment, with employers adding 211,000 jobs in April as the unemployment rate dropped to 4.4 percent, the lowest level since May 2007
Stimulated massive increases in corporate investment in the USA including: SoftBank $50 Billion, Exxon $20 Billion, Hyundai $3.1 Billion, Apple $1 Billion, Chrysler $1 Billion, GM $1 Billion, Bayer AG $1 Billion,Toyota $600 Million and LG $250 Million
Border Security; 40 percent fewer illegal border crossings
Began removing criminal illegal immigrants with thousands of gang members and criminals being either deported or jailed.
Budget Surplus of $182 Billion in April 2017
Lifted Consumer Confidence Index to 125.6 in March 2017, its highest point since 2000.
Instituted a significant increase in the number of airstrikes targeting terrorists in the Middle East, North Africa, and Afghanistan.
Revitalized the coal and gas industries
Targeted media networks such as ABC, NBC, and CNN for biased and untruthful reporting
Held successful meetings with a range of foreign leaders including British Prime Minister Theresa May, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Japenese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
No, he hasn’t achieved much at all really, has he.
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Occam has a beard.
His razor seems unused.
Leftist jurisdictions fail everywhere.
Illinois, a state in the US, is broke. California is too, though the golden gusher of taxes from tech is somewhat masking things.
Venezuela is a prosperity-to-poverty in ten years textbook example, and Brazil has been chasing them down the slide.
A number of the EU countries have managed to seriously reduce their inhabitants standard of living, Greece being the Bell cow.
Yet somehow the obvious connection between policy and poverty goes unnoticed.
The other connection is also clear, but even harder to talk about. There is a tipping point, where the dependent outnumber the workers,
that starts the death spiral. There are a few cultures where the parasites (a perjortive term, I’m sorry but have no better) understand they need a prosperous and healthy host, and a balance seems struck. But even these are seeing chinks in their armor.
The motivations of the left are clear. In all cases, they needed a route to power. The existing government, that had achieved power through prosperity, had to be toppled.
Thus the virtues of the left, absent empty political ear candy to sooth the masses, are in opposition to capital accumulation, relative prosperity for the masses, healthy patriotism, and respect for the individual.
We find out to late that a rising tide lifts all boats, but when it goes out, only the yachts far offshore remain afloat. All the fellow travelers, the welfare clients, the union workers, the ‘concerned citizens’ & community organizers, will be left high and dry in a common cause with the heads down worker bees of the right as their paltry subsidies no longer cover a decent life.
Whilst the powerful and wealthy continue to bleat about the unfairness of it all.
Engage a young person in argument today — tell them the truth and make them learn to see, think and argue. An hope that real voting is permitted for long enough for things to change. The fuel will still be in the ground, and the technology available. An optimistic antidote to gloom is the startling speed and sophistication that have allowed cities from Berlin to Seoul to rebuild after the devastation of war – a freed people can recover quickly.
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Cue Craig Thomas to tell us how ‘renewables’ will be ‘less expensive’ in three … … … two … … … one … … …
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YAWN !! I really don’t like Chihuahuas. !!
Yappy, insignificant little brainless pests.
20
Up until 30 years ago, wool production was Australi’s biggest industry, and still in some years Australia’ biggest export earner. Then, when both Russia and China, major wool clients, ran into economic difficulties, people, including scholars, citing the Law of Supply and Demand, bankrupted the entire world trade in wool, and the trade has never recovered.
This is through no fault of wool the product. It is wholly the result of mismanagement of the marketing by scholars and their hangers on. They show that they have little if any understanding of either Supply or Demand.
This’s lack of comprehension is already showing in Australia’s energy trade, and anybody who watches with an open mind should see what I am talking about. For years they have been making sanguine price forecasts that those of us who have seen them at work knew were no better than optimistic guesses.
Now we are entering territory which for those scholars is uncharted. Nobody understands that prices are set at the margins. Nobody understands that people paying those marginal prices are going broke. And nobody understands that after they have exited industry, the unit cost of production will rise further. They call it Economic Rationalism, but there is nothing rational about it.
Make no mistake about it, The closure of Hazelwood was a tipping point. Al Gore has got what he wanted when he persuaded Clive Palmer to protect the RET. Even if the errors were acknowledged tomorrow, recovery will be difficult.
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For those who don’t know, with the destruction of wool, the Howard government were the greater villains.
30
“Little Johnny Howard”kicked this”Climate Change”off,with taking away our guns supposedly because of the Port Arthur massacre.He needed to take away our guns before he introduced his new legislation,in case”WE the People”objected.He also introduced new land clearing laws,all at the behest of the UN.Then he snuck in an ETS before he got the boot,which helped Julia Gillard to bring in a “Carbon Tax”which Abbott got rid of,but Turdbull snuck it back in,at the last sitting in December.Pity he didn’t bother asking,or telling us about it.
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How can the largest exporter of coal in the world be prohibited from burning our own coal?
How can a huge fully functional power station supplying at a tiny 4c kw/hr (Hazelwood) be pushed out of business when people are paying 40c kw/hr for their electricity?
Why are electricity prices going up when the margin is already 90%? (50% of which is carbon tax)
Be aware that every effort is being made to stop coal exports. The Labor government stopped one $400million order in Victoria because it was evil ‘brown’ coal, which is no more than wet coal. They accepted the argument that removing the water would make it ‘blacker’.
The Victorian government has prohibited offshore and on shore exploration for gas, supported by both houses, even the Conservatives!
The NSW government has stopped exploitation of coal and gas, again a conservative government.
Turnbull is now legislating to curtail gas exports, ostensibly to make sure there is more cheap gas at home when he knows people cannot afford it. It is also subject to the RET as ‘fossil’ fuel.
What is going on?
Are we getting the picture? We are not able to afford our own coal and gas because of the RET. We are not allowed to look for more.
Soon we will not be allowed to export. When Adani gives up, there will be Green cheering in the streets as we head on the way to National bankruptcy like Venezuela.
I just wonder whether Tony Abbott can get enough support in the party room to toss out this extreme socialist pretender, slave to intellectual fashion and other people’s ideas?
Whoever goes to the polls trumpeting coal power will win, as in the US. Supported by both rusted on Labor voters and deluded Conservatives, our own ‘deplorables’. Us.
Coal is natural. Coal is free. CO2 is harmless. It is not pollution.
We can only hope for a revolt in the party room and Turnbull will be spending all his time scheming to get rid of Abbott.
This time when Abbott gets in, he will be cheered by both sides and he must move quickly using his mandate. Simply make the giant ABC/SBS subject to the exactly same laws on media ownership laws as other media companies.
Repeal the RET and what electricity prices plummet. It is not rocket surgery.
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Repeal the RET and watch electricity prices plummet. It is not rocket surgery.
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More to the point: Fight back.
Get politicised, form a new party or join … what … One Nation? Take it over.
Whatever, but make policy, in print, black and white, and circulate it.
Get everyone out onto the streets, organise Rallies. Maybe organise everyone into Canberra.
With enough people and noise, every polly can be made to run.
You’ve got a cause. Go for it before it goes for you.
30
No, no, see it’s all Tony Abbot’s fault, the ABC said so. They have a big headline “Why you’re about to pay through the nose for power” right next to a picture of Tony Abbot, so the message is obvious.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-19/why-youre-about-to-pay-through-the-nose-for-power/8629090
Hang on, the RET still exists, it was never wound back!
And whose pressure has led to that outcome? They can’t blame lack of finance of coal on the guy who wanted to stop subsidising renewables!
It’s all very topsy-turvy.
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Hello Jo,
Not sure if this has been posted elsewhere already, but I just spotted this on Mark Morano’s blog, Climate Depot. A petition has been approved seeking signatures for removing Australia from the Paris Agreement:
http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Petitions/House_of_Representatives_Petitions/Petitions_General/Petitions_List?id=EN0264
Given the state of disarray of energy policies in our major political parties, this offers us an opportunity to at least make our 3% of climate science sceptics known to the Australian parliament.
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I signed it – 253 signatures so far…it will need about a million to make any difference..
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I wasn’t aware that our parliament ran e-petitions. The preamble is wordy, but the request succinct. I put my name on it. I must look into the system. Suggestions are sought.
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I have tried to sign this and when you get to clicking on the CONFIRM button it is not active !
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I have successfully clicked on the SIGN button, but the CONFIRM does not allow you to click on it !
ALL the details have been entered as it requires…….
WHAT GIVES????
00
Try a different browser.
00
mike reed,
Just signed.
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Me too.
00
THANK ALOT “GREEN AHOLES” !!!!
F..KING VERMIN !!!@$#$@#%$^^%^*&!
all for bloody nothing !
10
EVER MEET SOMEBODY FOR THE FIRST TIME AND FEEL LIKE PUNCHING THEM IN THE FACE?
THAT’S HOW I FEEL ABOUT TURNBULL !
!#@#$@#$@#%$ AHOLE !!@$
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