Electricity prices jumped in July. Now, retail sales are falling as wallets run out of money. When Greens, Labor, Conservatives said we need insurance, only skeptics pointed out the price.
Commonwealth Bank economist, Gareth Aird, calls the fall a “shocker”.
Shoppers stay away as power costs bite
–Adam Creighton, The Australian
In a sign sluggish wages and higher power prices are starting to bite, the new financial year has seen the biggest fall in retail sales since 2009…
The Australian dollar fell back towards US78c yesterday after the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed retail sales had fallen 0.6 per cent between July and August, defying economists’ expectations they would rise modestly.
“Households are facing several headwinds, including record low wage growth, record levels of debt, slowing house price growth, and, importantly, sharply higher energy bills,” said ANZ economist Jo Masters. The drop in retail sales by a cumulative 0.8 percentage points over the two months to August, the biggest two-month decline since 2009, comes as consumers receive their first round of power bills after prices went up more than 20 per cent since July.”
Who would have thought? The country is forced to spend more on green electrons to change the global weather, and that means people have less to spend elsewhere.
Cafe and restaurant owners were hit particularly hard. Survey’s show people “believe” in climate change, but don’t want to spend more money on it. But no surveys ask the questions that matter — How many restaurant meals will you give up in order to cool the world by 0.0001C? Will you give up your sales job to make hurricanes slower (maybe) in ninety years?
The Australian experiment continues.
h/t Dave B
The Greens would see this as successful in reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and thus a good thing. Lower sales means reduced demand and thus over time reduced production of those goods. Higher electricity prices will result in lower usage, which is exactly what they want. Reduced economic activity is their end goal, not an unwanted side effect.
531
The Greens will never be happy until the Australian economy is in ruins.
361
Pretty sure they won’t be happy then, either, PeterS…
160
It is, in Nietzsche parlance, the ‘reign of the absurd’.
The perverted insanity of UNEP divestment ideology coupled with escalating power prices, declining Australian economic viability, the pumped daily sense of futility and hopelessness of the unpayable eco-debt, and the mortal sin of being born and being Caucasian, all of which and more that find their way into the daily chant of the Church of Climatism, that this melange of nihilism may create a ‘perfect storm’ – a ‘Great Depression’.
And what of the insatiable consumer engine, the expectations that do not go away (tertiary education & research funding) and the addiction to the cradle to grave welfare teat that increasingly impoverished people with their daily demand for money, services, food, power and jobs, must inevitably turn to?
Fertile ground indeed is the demand for governance that creates prosperity, hope and freedom … NOT the diktat of UN globalism.
It is a perfect storm indeed given that the lifecycle of a democracy often appears to include a civil war.
110
One could as convincingly say that fleas and ticks will never be happy until the dog is too weak to walk. But I question whether irresponsible parasitism–especially perpetrated by infiltrators into the gun-wielding Political State–is about happiness.
10
I accidentally gave a ‘Like’. Actually, I found your point and position very unclear, Hank.
00
Alt energy is paid for by borrowed money. NBN too. The full bill will be worse, particularly when interest rates rise. This is not difficult to foresee, especially for a merchant banker. The only reason MT is critical of alt energy now is because in the near future when power bills redouble and people really start screaming, it will be a lot easier for the incumbent government to cancel RETs than to reduce windmill debt. He does not want that.
50
It will only affect the well heeled inner city greens who can afford high electricity prices when their favourite little coffee shops start closing down. It will be panic stations when they have nowhere to go to read their SMH or Guardian and whinge about whatever the latest offence causing issue happens to be.
421
You can bet their “well heeledness” is entirely a function of their attachment to the public nipple. They don’t create wealth but they are experts at spending the wealth crated by others. Maggie was right, it will run out.
260
Make that created. Proof and proof again!!
70
But they don’t know that they are on the public teat! They don’t know that the renewable energy companies they invest in derive their profits from subsidies.
170
Recently my local council announced a rate increase of 10 per cent a year over the next four years. The water supply now managed by the council is increasing rates by 8 per cent. Both advised that electricity price is a major factor in operating costs.
Of course every provider of goods and services takes electricity cost into account and passes that cost to customers, and in the private sector businesses example a profit margin is added on top of all operating expenses. And then end users pay 10 per cent GST.
The cost of living is hitting everybody but as usual the middle to lower paid people, and welfare recipients, are suffering the most hip pocket nerve pain.
And this impacts adversely on the economy, local area, state and federally.
Low wages growth and world’s highest electricity pricing is responsible for a major decline in retail sales in Australia.
Economic growth (GDP) is down around 2 per cent per year but 3.5 per cent is required to move forward.
The Reserve Bank of Australia has again decided not to lift the base interest rate.
Meanwhile, in Canberra, debt continues to grow and our monies continue to be used to gift the UN, gift foreign countries, subsidise renewable energy (add $100 million recently to encourage fleet leasing of EV Tesla) etc.
Many Australians disregarded the economic collapse of Greece and the other members of the EU “P.I.I.G.S.” that are economic basket cases.
Australians seem to believe that “the wealthy country” is immune, after all our nation did comfortably survive the global economic crisis didn’t it. Australia survived because of major economic reform starting 1985 through to 2006. The establishment of the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority in 1998 by the Howard Government, and then repaying Labor’s federal debt with interest by June 2006. And managing budgets (excluding one when the East Timor Deployment took place) in surplus. They even created investment funds including Futures Fund that is today worth over $120 billion. The Australian economy was strong.
The following Labor years 2007 to 2013 resulted in new substantial debt creation, nothing but budgets in deficit, squandering taxpayer’s monies and borrowing to spend more and more. And they handed over a May 2013 budget in crisis, coupled to a “patchwork economy”.
The first Abbott Government Budget May 2014 went a long way to addressing the Labor budget crisis despite the unfair criticism it received. The repairs were based on an independent auditor report on Labor’s last budget. Since then debt creation has slowed markedly but has not been stopped, and budgets in deficit continue, despite some improvement.
Slowly but surely Australia is sliding into more economic decline, economic prosperity is no longer healthy and strong.
Having the highest electricity prices of all countries is a major handicap.
Both sides of politics share the blame now, Kevin Turnbull is not a good leader and he lacks judgement, and has little or no commitment to Australia’s best interests.
432
Voters should also keep in mind the blatant grab when Labor was in government for higher levels of remuneration for politicians and other public servants. The supposed to be independent Tribunal changed direction and recommended increases far above the rate of inflation. By the time Julia Gillard became Prime Minister she was paid more than the President of the United States of America, and far more than Liberal Prime Minister John Howard was being paid when he left office in November 2007.
Recently a spokesman for Australia Post acknowledged that the retiring CEO was paid in accordance with community expectations when he was employed in 2009, but when he left he was paid well above community expectations – read private sector CEOs in comparable positions.
The first Abbott Government Budget delivered in May 2013 placed a freeze on public service remuneration for the 2014/15 financial year and since the Tribunal has awarded increases more in line with inflation. But the grab for money was indecent during the Rudd, Gillard, Rudd Labor terms.
Public servants doing far better than the people they are supposed to work for.
392
Communists hate the middle class, so they are working hard to destroy it.
A few hits it can take, but being assaulted on all fronts is going to be hard unless we bar all 3 main parties from power at the next election….
331
Every Labour (Socialist) government that the UK has ever had has left public finances in tatters with a massive deficit and major debts.
The only thing that Labour politicians seem capable of is spending other peoples money until it runs out and then going on a major borrowing spree to keep spending on what they hope is a captive client voter base.
Nothing cures them of this until people stop voting for them …… but then as the economy improves and is put right people forget the Labour disaster and the financial suffering it caused and are once again taken in by socialist promises of ‘free’ money.
161
Memories are so short in too many of the population.
You neatly summed up the ever-recurring cycle there Roger.
60
Steelmaking in Australia is just about done.
Aluminium smelting is just about done.
Car making in Australia is done.
Unemployment is too high and too many people are left aimless and disillusioned because the society they live in can’t be bothered to plan and organise suitable work for them.
Where is the “inclusiveness” that involves everyone in the workforce?
And most importantly, where is our leadership?
KK
460
Cement manufacturing just about done, many parts of manufacturing industry now sources goods offshore and only maintain offices and warehouses here in Australia.
252
I never thought about cement, but it does require a lot of crushing and heating.
Is Kandos still going?
80
7 Jul 2011, 3:02 p.m.
The first casualty of Labor’s carbon tax has been announced with Cement Australia declaring the closure of the Kandos cement plant within the next four months.
Aa
Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton said this is a devastating day for the community of Kandos and for the 100 families that rely on this plant for a living.
“For nearly 100 years the Kandos cement plant has been the lifeblood of the local community – it has employed generations of locals and sustained a viable and vibrant economy,” he said.
“The fear is now that Julia Gillard’s carbon tax has not just proven to be the nail in the coffin of the plant, but the town of Kandos itself.
Mr Coulton said that while there were a number of factors that have contributed to the closure, none were more significant than the economic threat provided by the looming carbon tax.
242
I felt very sad and unhappy when I read that.
Just depressing that politicians have so little awareness or concern for people.
Vietnam is a country with massive limestone deposits and coal fired generators for their industry, low wages and loading costs which could potentially wipe out our local cement industry.
We are not competitive and only survive on our raw material exports.
Not “the smart country” by any means.
KK
210
I watched an SBS programme about ship building and the increasing success of that industry in South Korea, utilising Australian Iron Ore and Coal.
51
Also, keep in mind that concrete is usually made using an aggregate containing a high proportion of fly ash.
Since we are closing or have closed our coal fueled power plants, there will be no more fly ash.
Hence, both the entire economic and engineering basis of anything involving concrete will be destroyed.
What are we going to use instead of fly ash? Dig up the beaches? Excavate the coral reefs?
Did I mention that we are getting the sharp edge of that long inclined plane? (Need to bypass moderation!!!!!)
210
Read recently that there is now no US owned major cement manufacturer in USA after Ash Grove cement was taken over by an Irish company. Here in Australia the greens want to shut down Adelaide Cement and cause more unemployment.
Denis, Kandos was closed a few years ago. It was owned by a partnership of Holcim-Lafarge (Swiss based) and Heidelberg Cement (German). Holcim-Lafarge have closed production in New Zealand due to greens not allowing a new plant and high costs and are now importing from Indonesia and Phillipines where they have plants.
China is the largest producer of cement in the world something like 1.5 billion tonnes per year -more than 1 tonne per head. Cement in Concrete is used in dams, airports, roads, rail, nuclear power stations, wharehouses, canals, wharfs, factories etc. Cement consumption per capita is probably the most important indicator of economic growth.
Australia uses about 9 Mt/year (less than 0.5 t/head) and quite an amount imported . If local production is stopped more imports will come from Asia.
30
Kinky,
I think you have gone off the rails:
“ the society they live in can’t be bothered to plan and organise suitable work for them.
Where is the “inclusiveness” that involves everyone in the workforce?”
My thought is that government ought to get out of the way and let entrepreneurs and lightly-regulated markets do their work.
250
John
Are you Australian?
Since the mid seventies, i.e. 40 years ago, Australia has had a social security dominated society which has enabled politicians to buy off voters and not really bother to guide our country.
As to the comment you made in your last paragraph I agree with that.
My main point, which you seem to have missed, is that in the current environment there are many people who will be unemployable.
In days gone past the government ensured that they had work to suit their abilities.
Work gives dignity and a feeling of belonging.
The dole represents stagnation at best but more often a loss of self esteem and then a friendship with alcohol or worse.
I don’t think we were talking about the same thing.
KK
150
In fact KK, in days gone by governments formulated policies that facilitated the growth and prosperity of the private sector through a weighting to the free-market, low regulation, low taxation, and smaller government. Those policies enabled the private sector to employ people in their enterprises; the objective of which was to make a profit – even maximise profits.
Nowadays, should you be smart enough to maximise your profit, you get an extra special taxation levied on you, if you’re a bank. Or an increase in royalties, if you’re a miner. Super-profits tax. The tax of the envious; the tax of the lazy.
Governments don’t ensure, and never have ensured, that work was available to meet peoples’ abilities. Yes, they had in place policies that delivered very viable programmes for the development of skilled tradesmen through the apprenticeship scheme. Yes, it funded universities – and the universities pursued the best and brightest for professions that mattered. The only jobs governments provide are public service jobs. All the rest come from the private sector.
120
To John and Sam,
We don’t seem to be talking about the same thing.
Yes, I understand that business needs to be left alone to compete in an open market and so forth.
What i would point to is an example of government action that left our city with a fantastic legacy of public infrastructure that has lasted three quarters of a century.
Here in Newcastle during the depression, some sensible politicians devised some outstanding public works which I have used for the past 70 years.
Local unemployed were given work building concrete suburban roads in Newcastle and two major Oceanside public baths were built. The roads were distinguishable because they were concrete.
The public swimming pools are amazing.
If this depression was to be repeated now we would not be building public infrastructure and we would not have the builders able to look back with pride and say “we built that”.
Mostly government should not interfere with commerce but governments have a responsibility to engage with those whose talents and skills leave them on the sidelines after business has chosen its work force.
KK
100
The Great Depression was a long time ago and the argument about Keynesian spending has not been settled. If people are willing to pay for roads and swimming pools then the state should not need to employ people to build them – private enterprise will do so. If private enterprise is not building them, then you have to ask why, not just assume. One of the problems may be state employment schemes price labour out of the market for example.
62
I didn’t mention Keynesian spending?
Unlike the unused Desalination plants the local investment has been almost maintenance free for 70 years.
An example for all politicians to follow.
KK
You seems to be saying that it is better for people to be on the dole and so let politicians off the hook for the mess our economy is in!
I think politicians should be held fully accountable for the mess they make of our economy.
110
Brendan Behan quoting Dylan Thomas
” “A job is death without dignity” as opposed to real work”
From “Brendan Behan’s Ireland”
30
How many people then have real work.
40
One of my favorite songs. Dylan Thomas , Troyte’s chant – Eli Jenkins Prayer.
10
I think that is becoming a common feeling in democracies around the world. I hear it more and more frequently here in the UK and Trump is living proof of that sentiment in the USA.
10
Did you get any joy from your planned meeting yesterday? Or is it next week?
00
KinkyKeith what you are basically saying is that Oz is screwed, economically speaking. This trend would have a chance to be reversed if Oz had a leader like Trump – his plan is simple – “Economy before “leftie ideology”, especially “Green driven Ideology”, ie econo-decimation (a new word I just thought of).
241
+ 100
20
Please, don’t have another thought like that. You are conflating Greek and Latin. 😉
10
Lots of our words are Greek/Latin hybrids…nothing new.
21
“It’s the economy, Stupid”.
10
“too many people are left aimless and disillusioned ”
And because their brain goes unfed.. they turn to voting for the Greens and Labor.
An ever declining death spiral for society.
202
Exactly.
90
YES
90
“An ever declining death spiral for society”.
Spot on AndyG55 – and when this materializes the blame game will start – and all arrows will point to the “Theory of AGW”. And as I speak a La Nina is developing – strengthened noticeably in Sept. I recall Dr David Evans predicting in mid 2014 that the significant TSI drop circa 2004 would result in delayed GC by approximately a solar cycle (his “Notch Theory”). Given that the last SC lasted ~ 13 yrs then he suggested that the next LIA could develop in 2017 (now), especially if it coincides with a La Nina. The stars are aligning – god help the decision makers who in their wisdom have hijacked the Oz Economy with RET lunacy.
41
“High electricity prices in Australia blamed for sharp economic slowdown”
Read that in the Australian this morning!
My reaction!
Maybe high energy prices but not those alone.
High energy prices have merely speeded up and exacerbated what was an already developing trend towards far less expenditure on items other than basic necessities and a much lower level and more thoughtful personal expenditure on items that formerly would have been just another impulse buy and the hell with the money.
My grounds for this claim.
First I have often observed that future trends in personal expenditure show up in the rural areas quite quite a while before the city based economists and the financial media in their own little silos where windows to the outside world are almost non existent finally get to see what is happening in the world outside of their own little statistics driven bubble existence.
Secondly I have been selling treadle type chook feeders and sparrow traps at the local regional Farmers markets for close on three years now.
Over the last 12 months, it has been the almost universal claim of nearly every market stall holder that I have had contact with that the spending by the public at our markets has dropped off quite dramatically with many claims that stall takings are down to close to half of what they were a couple of years ago.
The first reaction to this is that the public have become wary sometime ago as to where both their own as well as the national economy is heading economically with a possibility that their own personal finances might take a severe hit if the economy tanks in the near future.
The second reaction is that the money for discretionary spending ; i.e. ; impulse buying of small pleasures and entertainment items has come to a near stop as the above personal financial security and confidence takes a hit particularly when looking at the power bills, the water rates, the gas charges for heating , the cost of wood for heating, the rapidly escalating local government rates, the constant governmental talk about more taxes and etc.
So the money if there is being harboured.
The money in most cases is no longer there in sufficient amounts to enable a splashing around on impulse or casual expenditure.
And most of all, a major and escalating lack of confidence in the future as the public are beginning to see that governments of every stripe and persuasion apparently no longer give a damn for the welfare of their constituents.
And those same governments against every reasonable logical and sensible criteria are pursuing energy policies that are already pricing out and will further price out of existence and destroy the reliability of our entire national energy consuming sector as well as the wage and salary paying businesses that most rely on to provide the wages and finances to afford the spending which keeps the economy moving.
All whilst governments of every political persuasion continue to openly promote and propose even further crippling regulatory and tax imposts on the industries and businesses that provide the employment and the personal finances that enable that same public too spend and keep the economy moving.
Unfortunately given the politics and the ultimate political insanity in the chasing of the renewable energy unicorn which will never be seen, let alone caught, we are facing a great cleansing of much of the western global economy in the near future with unknown consequences for people and nations.
The last time some three quarters of a century ago now, such an economic cleansing took place, it evolved and finally resulted in perhaps some 70 million dead out of a global population that was only 40% of the numbers of our present global population.
260
ROM:
what is property trading like over this year?
There are two property markets: domestic and commercial (agriculture and horticulture are regarded as commercial).
What are property prices and turnover rates across Aus. like?
What is the state of construction, ie what are building consents doing?
Mining?
I’ve been watching all these in NZ.
They’re fluttering here, rising slightly, then slipping back a bit, but overall with a slight downward trend visible. In other words, no real growth.
The renewable energy unicorn might be the straw to break it loose a bit earlier—a contributing factor but not necessarily a hard hit yet.
I’m watching the big commercial banks overseas (London, New York, Japan, Singapore, China, etc).
20
You can’t spend money if you don’t have any to spend. The government and the utility companies have emptied my bank, now I have to “not spend” in order to save up for Christmas. Who’s surprised again?
260
Thank goodness the downturn is not due to a reduced balance of trade, inept government, hopelessly inept Prime Minister, no new investment, overseas investment turned off, manufacturing shutting down and moving off shore, mining investment non-existent, etc, etc, etc.
I am so relieved that the downturn is only due to that very high cost power we get from coal and has nothing whatsoever to do with subsides.
I wonder how many people in this country (including politicians) realize that THE ONLY THINGS PREVENTING Australia FROM BEING A FULL BLOWN BANANA REPUBLIC RIGHT NOW ARE IRON ORE AND COAL EXPORTS.
321
All will be good again as soon as the CET is established to encourage more investment in low cost “renewable” energy. At least that is what 77% of Australians believe if you put any faith in this poll:
https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/uploads/5a2f4092a8258e1d709684e7c376f5a0.pdf
Despite the slanted questions, my own feeling is that more than 50% of Australians believe unrenewable wind and solar energy is lower cost than coal. Their belief is based on the view that the coal generators are gaming the system to enrich their businesses.
100
Their view is based on being bombarded with media sludge.
They hear it and believe it.
When will it ever end?
If you want to be up to date on the latest all you have to do is turn to your government paid for media outlet.
Try Triple JJJJJJ. Cool man.
Renewables are cool and cheaper than dirdy coal.
Swallow the kool aid and relax.
KK
100
Marxist Mugabe did it with guns in Zimbabwe.
Marxist Gillard did it with the RET in Australia.
The outcome is the same – Communism destroying the western world – UNLESS – people grow brains and spines and throw out the 3 main globalist-run parties ( who clearly all have the same country-ruining agenda ) – at the ballot box and stop them from holding power.
This is just basic democracy in action.
When people are talking to friends or mates or work colleagues, this is the discussion to have, IMHO.
As soon as you allow people to make the connection between the RET and power prices and what to do about it, consequences will flow naturally…..
101
Gillard Lover Told Lawyer Of Fra*d
HEDLEY THOMAS
Leaked lawyer’s notes set out Bruce Wilson’s confessions with a ‘slush fund’ she set up for him.
The Weekend Australian
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/gillard-lover-bruce-wilson-told-lawyer-of-fraud/news-story/770d42ccafbcf83f7ee5f1ccc7f45ed0
[NOTE: The linked article is effectively behind a paywall.] AZ
10
IMO, Australians have bought into the CO2/global warming/renewable energy hype at a greater rate than any other country’s population. Kudos to the ABC, SMH, Canberra Times, teachers, etc. (sarc/.) At this stage, I don’t think it matters much what evidence is presented. Any program with designs on changing opinions on the pros and cons of renewable energies is occurring much too slowly to head off blackouts in major metropolitan areas. (The reliability of the electricity grid is collapsing at a much faster rate than the global warming religious beliefs of the renewable energy faithful.) It’ll only be with the forced suspension of taken-for-granted services on a regular basis that Australians will be forced to question their treasured opinions on the viability of wind, solar and other pie-in-the-sky progressive fantasies. Their ABC is flogging the dying horse and unlikely to stop anytime soon.
130
Great article from Bolt today regarding this………..
GREENS WRONG AGAIN. COAL EXPORTS BOOM
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/greens-wrong-again-coal-exports-boom/news-story/ed3514dcbd0243efd60e779ee9ef37bf
42
When basic commodities such as electricity, oil, gas, fertilizer, etc. increase this puts upward pressure on prices of all durable and expendable goods. These increasing then impact the prices of everything else. Production and sales and profits then start to fall and the country suffers even more.
Monetary stimuli then can help some, but only by more borrowing and deficit spending which just moves the problems ahead into future months and years–but is not a long-term solution.
If price of fuels to produce electricity fall then electricity prices can also fall.
Only the niche or fringe uses of electricity are appropriate for renewables. The industrial base load must come from nuclear, coal, gas, or all three.
120
Just saw a billboard for EnergyAustralia in Melbourne, and I see it is repeated on their website.
“Carbon neutral electricity at no extra cost. Carbon Neutral electricity commences six months from your start date.”
“Opt in and we will offset the carbon emissions from your electricity from the 6-month anniversary of the date your EnergyAustralia account is established. The Go Neutral option ends on 31 December 2018 (unless extended).”
To make your electricity carbon neutral we will buy enough carbon offset units to fully offset the carbon emissions associated with your home electricity. Go Neutral is for residential electricity customers. If you’re setting up a new account, join now by opting in today and when six months rolls around we’ll automatically put you on the program.
“Go Neutral has been certified against the Australian Government’s National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS) and we will source our offset units from a range of Australian and international offset projects. The types of projects could include:
– Protecting native forests by reducing land clearing
– Planting trees to grow carbon stocks
– Reducing business energy use by installing high efficiency appliances like refrigeration and fans, or energy efficient street lights.
It’s simple, effective and certified.”
The electricity still comes from 86% coal/gas, but makes greenies feel so good about themselves.
110
Meanwhile just about every other country is building hundreds and hundreds of new coal fired power stations. Australia is alone in trying to achieve reductions in CO2 by building only solar and wind farms. Everyone else is doing that too but they are also building coal fired power stations for two reasons; reliable base load and lowest electricity price as possible to avoid destroying their economies and becoming noncompetitive. We on the other hand are doing the exact opposite and becoming more and more noncompetitive. Let’s call it for what is is. Australia is now the dumbest country on the planet when it comes to economics.
171
Had a knock on the door yesterday from Red Energy , spruiking new customers and deals , I must say very competitive prices and no BS about pay a bit more for green stuff .
First one ever that said their power came from the snowy hydro and that’s what feeds our area of Victoriastan.
50
I had a door knock from the same group.
I resent having to hunt for the lowest price for a basic essential and diplomatically let him go.
I got our electricity discount through an online group.
KK
40
Basically same same KK , I have just been through the switch and last bill from old provider just came through minutes ago $239 if I pay on time $270 if not and that’s for one month and with 5kw of solar .
40
I’ll expect a Christmas card from you.
I subsidise you for solar – installation and operating.
20
I’ll send you a card mate , I’ll just take it out of the subsidy ,win win .
Yeah I know I owe a lot of people cards .
10
EnergyAustralia…….SPIVS & SYHSTERS !
32
We don’t need foundations, they damage the ground environment, so let’s ban foundations.
Pity about what they were holding up.
102
This trend will continue until we get rid of both major political parties. They have the exact same agenda. So start getting used to a contracting economy, increased unemployment, rising cost of living. Taxes will eventually start to rise & exactly where interest rates are headed is still a mystery.
One thing you can bank on is that it won’t be pretty.
All this pain & misery just to fight climate change which is part of the natural order. If the whole country were switched off it would make no difference. The climate will do what he climate has always done, change & evolve.
241
That is the conclusion I came to many months ago Graham.
But noting too that both major political parties are mostly interested in international politics centred in the United Nations.
182
Both major parties get their international relations handed to them from the US. This usually means pointless wars, and a lot of expensive American equipment for said wars.
512
On the other side of the coin we got through WWII because of the intervention of the U.S.
90
Anyone who supports the UN should be shunned like the plague…..
110
I wish we could get rid of them but let’s be realistic. Most people are not interested in politics until things get so bad they start to squeal. We are not there yet. In time we will be, probably in a couple of years when things get so out of hand companies start sacking large numbers of staff, and the real-estate market implodes. Then everyone will be scratching their heads why their homes have been devalued probably as much as 50%, if not more. What could be worse (what worse?!) is the US could suffer a serious slump in the years ahead after they have enjoyed their current ride to the stratosphere. I can see the DOW gong much higher in the meantime. When the music stops, as it always must after a major bull run in the US, then Australia as a nation is kaput!
61
I might add though if we had a good leader to replace Turnbull right now there may still be hope to minimise to coming storm int he next couple or so years. We have precious little time to turn things around. We need a Menzies or Churchill style leader. The problem is I don’t think we have one. That leaves us very vulnerable so get prepared. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
101
Next election request a postal vote and take the time to number every single preference, putting alp,liberals,nationals and greens all LAST.
THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO BREAK THE SEEMINGLY “ONE PARTY STATE” THAT AUSTRALIA CURRENTLY HAS.
71
Angry I reckon we just vote green and let the collapse happen quicker .
00
For all our sakes……….
NEVER VOTE FOR THE GREEN COMMUNISTS !!
THEY ARE THE WORST OF THE LOT OF THEM !
42
Noting and not forgetting that the Greens receive union donations, and the unions now completely control their ALP.
32
Aww c’mon Angry, where’s your sense of anarchy? Just imagine what we get to do to them a year later provided tar is still available that is .
11
Australia is not travelling well, but could do much better if there was the right government in the driving seat that understands which levers to pull and what not to pull;
https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/worlds-livable-cities-hardly-anyone-can-afford-ho-044116890.html
92
I’m leaving my hot water service off for three days a week now, so that my electricity bill does not increase. Hot water was about two thirds of my bill and now it’s about half – I don’t use a heater or air conditioning. Recent bill (in SA) was $510 before concession and discount, $440 afterward. Going without bathing every day sucks. I would like to back my car up to the hot water service of every dumbar*e politician who has pushed renewballs, tie a steel cable around them with the other end attached to the towbar, and drive off. See how they like it.
(Do I need to put “just kidding” here?)
121
I switch my hot water system power off whenever I will be away from home for days or weeks, and I switch the town water supply off at the water meter just in case of a burst water pipe or failed water heater.
112
Every right to be angry gregg . .
GeoffW
70
Just out of interest Greggg, what’s the cost/kWh?
40
Cost is 41.8c/kWh including GST from AGL. I’ve compared other retailers and I’d save less than $20 a quarter by switching.
No “off peak” rate – I’ve only one analogue meter.
20
That’s about what my peak 2 rate was here in Victoriastan but now about 26 cents .
00
Don’t you have an “off peak” rate for your hot water?
We do.
11
No off peak here for hot water .
00
very strange………..
12
High electricity prices is effectively a tax hike during a time where wages have been stagnate, and there is much more to come. Meanwhile other countries are reducing their taxes and keeping the electricity prices low by maintaining a balance between renewables and new coal fired power stations. We are destroying our balance and moving to renewables too fast and too savagely. If this continues we are heading for an economic crash and burn scenario. House prices will slump as a result but no one will still want to buy since everyone will be worried if they will still have a job. Thank you LNP, ALP and Greens. You are now all masters at wrecking the Australian economy.
201
Yes!
A kind of tax that is added to your power bills!
It’s like if you’re just surviving, you look next door and they’ve installed heaps of Solar Panels.
Neighbour says his bill is now virtually ZERO?
I will pay for his power again and again.
It’s sickening!
181
I hate aholes parasites that bludge of their fellow Australians to fund their electricity !
FLAMIN MONGRELS !
42
Angry,
Tell us how you really feel.
10
Wages are stagnate at least in part because of energy costs and regulation. Energy is an input into just about every business, either directly or indirectly. About the only cost that has no energy component is labour, so that gets held down.
70
OT , just listening to ABC radio the rural drive program and they had the weather man from news breakfast on (apparently a trained meteorologist) taking questions from the public .
Two questions cracked me up , one was about climate change is it real and what are the effects ?
Yes it’s real we just don’t know what the effects will be .
Second a guy rang in about being in a micro climate near Melbourne, he gets lots of rain and cold weather , Nate said to him ahh ha you must live on the western side of a slope , to which the response was “no southern side” straight away Nate said same thing any place near a slope on any side gets more rain .
But then forgot what he said and it was just the western and sometimes southern side .
60
In contrast robert, Alan Jones interviewed Ian Plimmer on his radio show this morning. Plimmer didn’t pull any punches and it was so good to hear someone of his calibre speaking out the truth on radio.
GeoffW
141
“Plimer speaking the truth”
That would be a first. Try looking up Ian Enting and his forensic demolition of everything Plimer (a geologist) wrote in his first paperback.
[Try having something useful to say before lashing out.] AZ
310
OK. Here is something useful.
From Wikipedia:
“Ian Enting (born 25 September 1948) is a mathematical physicist and the AMSI/MASCOS Professorial Fellow at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematics and Statistics of Complex Systems (MASCOS) based at The University of Melbourne.
Enting is the author of Twisted, The Distorted Mathematics of Greenhouse Denial in which he analyses the presentation and use of data by climate change deniers.
More recently he has been addressing the claims made in Ian Plimer’s book Heaven and Earth. He has published a critique, “Ian Plimer’s ‘Heaven + Earth’ — Checking the Claims”, listing what Enting claims are numerous misrepresentations of the sources cited in the book.”
[No Dr. No this is not useful. What you have here is a nicely packaged argument from authority. You might actually offer something specific about what Enting claims instead of quoting Wikipedia (that by itself is proven to be a completely biased and corrupted source). Try harder Dr. No. you can do it-maybe.]ED
56
Dr. No ==== DOCTOR EVIL……
33
Dr.NO, KNOWS basically NO-THING !! So far all we have is mindless YAPPING.
You want mis-representations… go talk to Big AL Gore, and the other AGW monkeys.
42
Interesting reaction.
“You might actually offer something specific about what Enting claims instead of quoting Wikipedia (that by itself is proven to be a completely biased and corrupted source)”
What bit of the quote do you think is incorrect?
It seems a pretty innocuous statement of fact to me.
Furthermore, Enting tackles a huge number of Plimer’s claims. Which one should I start on?
(You have posted three attack Plimer comments,but yet to actually specify his supposed errors.Now you ask us which alleged error you want us to read about,Why can’t you just do it?) CTS
36
No, indeed, ED is right on the money. You have done nothing more than supply an attempt at a conversation killing link, of which you may not even have read yourself, because you can’t describe one single relevant point in your own words. This is the laziest form of blog commenting. You expect the reader to either “believe” the link (as you do without analysis) or to do the homework that you can’t be bothered doing.
There is nothing “factual” in your reply, apart from quoting biographies, which appears to be all that really matters to you (argument from authority = a weak mind).
Perhaps Plimer is human – and wrong on somethings — quite possible — is that relevant to this discussion?
Enting is probably human too. As long as we are discussing people, we are not discussing science.
72
Lets be specific. The comment I am responding to is:
“Plimmer didn’t pull any punches and it was so good to hear someone of his calibre speaking out the truth on radio.”
Now I, and many others, would like to make it clear that Plimer can very easily be accused of not speaking the truth.
I have pointed to one, very reputable source, which makes such an accusation.
I therefore think my post is therefore very relevant to the original comment. It is simply a warning to anyone who might assume Plimer is infallible.
I am very happy to discuss any scientific points when if and when they are raised. But I am not aware of any in this thread so far. Correct me if I am wrong.
(It must be TOO hard for you to post some details of the alleged evidence about Plimer,since you have yet to post any) CTS
42
I have commented once before about the fact that Plimer does not come across as a good spokesman for the skeptical cause. But I don’t see that as meaning his position is wrong on anything. If Dr. No can’t stick to the issues and instead want’s to argue about errors in such a general way as to be meaningless to this debate, in fact in a way that looks more like character assassination, then someone like me writes him off as useless to read.
I can’t say I’ve read every single comment he’s made but what I have read offers very little support, only his opinion and is useless. If he can’t argue the science and support what he says why do we pay attention to him?
32
Come on Dr.Empty. couple of things Entling says.
Waiting.!
32
Since you ask:
(and noting that there are very many) here are just a couple:
“In spite of Plimer being praised for the extensive referencing, many of the controversial assertions have no supporting citation. These include: the claim that analysis of 102 studies showed that 78% found earlier periods, lasting at least 50 years, that were warmer than any period in the 20th century [page 86]; frequent claims that the Medieval Warm Period was 2 to 3 degrees warmer than the present and the claim that Roman times were 2 to 6 degrees warmer. (for which many of the cited references do not even address the Roman or Medieval periods — see overview on page 43 onwards); and the repeated claim that the climate sensitivity is 0.5◦C.”
“p. 11, figure 15: This graphic has several misrepresentations. The bold line purports to be temperature data from the HadCRUT data set (see page 41 below). This is not true. The HadCRUT data are closer to the lighter solid line which is labelled, UAH LT (adj to
Sfc).6 Moreseriously,atleastfortheHADCRUdata7,the2008datathatareshownare fabrications. The HadCRUT data set shows 2008 as being only 0.081◦C lower than 2007”
22
Just more rubbish.
12
Ahyesthejamesjoyceoption
Tony.
20
You should learn to read what you copy and paste. Save yourself further embarrassment
“claims that the Medieval Warm Period was 2 to 3 degrees warmer than the present and the claim that Roman times were 2 to 6 degrees warmer. ”
Which they quite probably were…… your point is ???
01
See above for a sample of two.
Here are another two:
“In the section on The Roman Warming Plimer states Temperatures in the Roman warming were 2 to 6◦C warmer than today. As discussed in the subsection ‘Roman Warm-ing’ below (page 44), none of the scientific papers cited in this section of Heaven + Earth present evidence of such warming anywhere on earth.”
“Plimer wrote that he GISS director claimed that nine of the ten warmest years in history have occurred since 1995. Since the reference cited is a paper published in 1999, the misrepresentation is obvious.”
I can go on and on if you like.
32
“congrats”. You can name a typo, but ignore the actual scientific content. Bravo.
Is that the best you can do?
11
““Plimer wrote that he GISS director claimed that nine of the ten warmest years in history have occurred since 1995. Since the reference cited is a paper published in 1999, the misrepresentation is obvious.””
Plimer was TOTALLY CORRECT.
History goes back passed MWP, even back to RWP and further.
It was UNDOUBTEDLY warmer during those periods.
The statement “ten warmest years in history have occurred since 1995” is manifestly WRONG !!
12
And it is almost certain that the RWP was 2+ degrees warmer than now.
Heck, it was only just after the start of the Neoglaciation period, that led eventually down to the Little Ice Age, which the world is still struggling to climb out of properly.
12
Explain what temperature it has to be for large trees to grow where glaciers have only recently been exposing them.
20
Some more dubious claims by Plimer:
“New Orleans sunk rapidly by about 1 metre in the three years before Katrina struck.”
A reference is cited: Dixon and others Nature, 441, 587–588 (2006) from radar satellite altimetry. They report a three-year average of −5.6 ± 2.5 mm/year, with a maximum of −29 mm/year (negative values indicating subsidence). They note that if the motion is interpreted as purely vertical, the mean and maximum subsidence become only 6.4 mm/year and 33 mm/year.
“Carbon dioxide is a colourless odourless non-poisonous gas.”
If taken literally, this is dangerously misleading. Some of the relevant toxicity data are:
7% to 10%: unconsciousness within minutes;
5% fatal dose for inhalation;
2% adverse pulmonary effects;
and various adverse effects from continuous exposure at lower concentrations around 1%.
“Animals produce 25 times as much CO2 as cars and industry.”
This is both irrelevant and untrue. A common irrelevant argument used by doubt-spreaders. Animal CO2 production doesn’t affect climate because it is putting back carbon taken out of the atmosphere by plants. However 25 by 7 GtC/year is exaggerated. Even if no plant material decayed directly to CO2, or decomposed by bacteria or burnt by wild-fire, Plimer’s figures would have animals chomping through plant material at about 2 or 3 times the rate (the Global Net Primary Production of 50 to 100 GtC per year) at which plants remove the carbon from the atmosphere — thus eating all the world’s biomass in a few decades.
30
“putting back carbon taken out of the atmosphere by plants”
Which is EXACTLY what burning coal and other FOSSIL fuels does.
Or didn’t you know that ???????
Its the much needed carbon taken out by sea creatures, that ends up at the bottom of the oceans, that we will never get back. 🙂
01
I hope you saw the latest from WUWT.
Vostok ice core analysis by Russian SCIENTISTS.
Take-away line in the post…..
“….. show that the hypothesis of significant warming of the atmosphere by CO2 over the last century is ABSURD. ”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/10/06/news-from-vostok-ice-cores/
42
That’s fantastic Andy.
It may just be a reinforcement of what has been previously known but it is a substantial piece of work.
KK
02
Dear Dr No,
Perhaps you can enlighten me a little about CO2.
You know, the stuff that is destroying the planet – it has been for the past 50 years.
So much so that we are past the “tipping point” (whatever the bloody hell that might be).
We have heard so much about this nasty gas for decades, to the extent that we have turned to solar and wind for power and built desalination plants.
All for no sensible reason at all.
The CO2 horsesh*t has to stop.
I’ll take Plimer, you take Flannery (and/or Enting) and I’ll be in Scotland before you.
52
Dear toorightmate,
you may be interested in the latest data from Dr Roy Spencer (http://www.drroyspencer.com, a favoured source for climate skeptics)
” global average lower tropospheric temperature (LT) anomaly for September, 2017 was +0.54 deg. C, up from the August, 2017 value of +0.41 deg. C”
This latest warm anomaly has set them back on their heels, mainly because it was recorded during non El Nino conditions.
It seems very difficult to deny global warming now. However, a plausible fall back position would be to acknowledge the warming but deny the role of CO2.
I would have more time for skeptics if they did this and stopped denying the facts.
23
Still mindless yapping about a tiny change in temperature, changes that come purely from non-human ocean and solar effects.
The planet is still only just a small amount above its COLDEST period in 10,000 years.
MWP was WARMER, RWP was WARMER, first 7000+ years of the Holocene were decidedly warmer. ONLY the LIA was cooler than now.
Bet you choose to live somewhere WARM, with fossil fuel heating in winter, don’t you, No-No.
22
http://www.2gb.com/podcast/alan-jones-full-show-october-6th/
Download and listen Starts at 56:30 Tell us where he is wrong.
WAITING
22
He is wrong because he is on the wrong side of the debate .
22
Dear robert rosicka,
Do you mean Plimer is wrong because he is on the wrong side of the debate ?
22
So, you can’t counter anything he said.
Didn’t think so.
12
Talk about high prices QLD has been hovering around $249.00 per meg for over an hour .
50
As the owner-operator of a small business that is dependent on people having the income for discretionary spending, I’m more than a tad vexed by the deliberate destruction of the Australian economy. It has been plain from the beginning that this would be the outcome of all these brain fart “grand plans” to “go green” and “renewable” all in the name of “saving the planet” from the nasty CO2. I can only conclude that the politicians have deliberately set about destroying our economy, and are determined to complete the job. This is not going to end well for anyone – not even the carpetbaggers and shysters and politicians.
160
Mind you, once internal combustion engine driven vehicles are outlawed and we have to revert to horse power of the four-legged variety, I’ll be fine.
70
Sorry Bushkid but all horses will become property of the state after being seized by the politburo.
80
They have to try and seize them first…..it might work in Oz, but it wont work in the USA…..
80
These green communists won’t be satified until we are all reduced to using “shanks pony” !
pos !
31
Many people agree with you.
The “T” word is being talked about…..
10
“Sorry Bushkid but all horses will become property of the state after being seized by the politburo”.
Or eaten!
There definitely won’t be enough Food to go around after a couple of months if fossil fuels are outlawed by some political whacko outfit, aka Greens.
And I am not talking just about the transport of food from the production areas to the consumers in the cities.
I am talking about the real actual production of food in large quantities to feed the population if some truly insanely stupid ideological fixated political whack jobs either ban all fossil fuels or price them out of the reach of any but the most wealthy citizens.
Without fossil fuels or an equivalent replacement in very large quantities at prices that are affordable, large scale cheap to purchase production of Food stops along with food distribution to the consumers which also simply stops.
There are simply no alternatives yet available to fossil fuels to produce the horsepower needed to plant, harvest, process and transport the world’s major food crops that feed the seven and a half billions of humanity of which close to 60% now live in cities of over 100,000 population.
There are also very few alternatives to cheap fossil fuels available that could be used as alternatives to the processing of oil and coal into the fertilisers and chemicals that promote growth and yields and protect the crops from disease and pests.
140
Yes, every other nation striving to keep their economies from imploding knows all that, which is why they are building many more coal fired power stations. It appears Australia is the only country to be committing economic suicide by closing down existing coal fired power stations and refusing to build new ones to replace even just one! If that’s not proof this country is headed for a crash and burn scenario then nothing is. There is still time to change things but it will require a new leader of the LNP with he guts to change direction. My guess if that happened the LNP will be re-elected comfortably. If not then let’s see how fast the country implodes.
70
J’accuse
Cess 1976 made a fundamental Physics’ mistake – to claim OLR/theoretical ground IR emission was Earth’s radiative emissivity. This was puerile and claimed falsely increased ground IR emission absorbed by the atmosphere by 40%.
Also in 1976, NASA claimed this was offset by an opposite flow negative convection, which is impossible. Hansen later admited this was a ‘fudge’. So GISS has admitted the 1976 fraud.
To hide the fraud, which was obvious to any professional, the Met. Office devised a fake Kirchhoff’s claim based on faulty cloud physics,, that also creates false positive feedback. The person responsible for this fraud was Reading Universities’ late husband of Julia Slingo. There is a hitherto undiscovered increase of extinction coefficient in rain clouds missed by Hansen in 1969. This gives fake positive feedback when in reality low level cloud removal of latent heat from the surface plus peculiar properties of 16 – 23 micron water vapour nearly exactly offset GHG warming.
So, we have a story of deliberate fraud in climate modelling since 1976. It is proven. Reality is now entry to a new LIA as tsi falls.
84
Years ago, at Reading University, we were trying to ‘debug’ a computer programme that I had written where we were reliant on the Smithsonian met tables. Everyone checked and rechecked but the spat-out results were garbage. Eventually the resident statistician found the reason, an error in the tables. It was then that I started to learn that such hallowed origins were not necessarily to be trusted!
Those were the days of autocode and machine code for the Elliot 803! I went off not long after to do something different.
80
Annie you could have been working for Giss or NASA or even Bom with those credentials.
00
I doubt it!
00
nonetheless, the official employment figures sound pretty good. how come?
heard an Uber driver on radio recently. he said on the Gold Coast (sixth largest City in Australia, with population of around 560,000, plus visitors), there are 8,000 drivers and one hour per month is enough to keep you active. he said thousands of them only came on board after Uber was made legal.
I don’t doubt him. multiply that 8,000 throughout the country, add those working for Uber’s competitors, and you would get a sizeable number, no doubt.
what percentage fills out tax returns? don’t know. but this might be one way unemployment figures continue to look good.
40
Slowing house price growth is a bad thing now?
23
Why is it that folks seem to forget:
Energy is life; cheap energy is prosperity.
80
Because of the ‘Entropy Police’.
71
The people know it, it’s the politicians who are playing games here. You’ll have to ask them why they don’t know it.
50
the CAGW mob simply continue with their own narrative. READ IT ALL:
6 Oct: AFR: The energy crisis explained: a tragedy in five acts
by Ben Potter, Angela Macdonald-Smith & Mark Ludlow
Australia’s energy supply is among the world’s costliest and ***dirtiest. It’s also become annoyingly unreliable in the last couple of years.
It’s a stunning reversal of the historical position – energy in Australia used to be cheap, abundant and reliable…
Here are five of the key reasons why are paying more for energy – ***and emitting more greenhouse gases – than consumers in almost any comparable country…
Gold-plating poles and wires…
The regulatory scheme for poles and wires has proved spectacularly flawed, top energy economist Ross Garnaut said in 2014. The meagre efforts to fix it came too late…
Tony Abbott and the carbon price…
For a year or two Labor, the Coalition and big business were as one on the need to put a price on carbon as the most efficient way to shift our fossil fuel energy-intensive economy to clean energy…
Rudd moved to introduce a cap and trade scheme but it was blocked twice by the Greens in the Senate, who thought it did not go far enough.
Turnbull began negotiations with Rudd in 2009 to deliver the carbon pollution reduction scheme – but this lead to his downfall at the hands of hardliner Abbott…
Generator / retailer consolidation and soaring wholesale prices
Thanks to the withdrawal of about 5000 MW of coal-fired power, gas now sets the price of electricity about a quarter of the time and wholesale prices have doubled in the space of a few years…
The upshot was three vertically integrated players having the lion’s share of the market and huge increases in electricity prices.
http://www.afr.com/business/energy/the-energy-crisis-explained-a-tragedy-in-five-acts-20171004-gytz0s
10
Back when the poles and wires termed late 07 or so . Lend Lease were projected to build demountable`s with a lot of computing and tech built in , these were then sent to sub stations in suburbs around Australia for the specific ability to regulate the intermittent ruinable solar and wind generation into the grid , thats the gold plating and also notice on your electricity bill , by what ever means you reduce your consumption of electrons to cut your bill , the gold plating is still going on in the service charges .
Its also the same scam they use on gas and water .
$23 dollars for two months water and $3 dollars for two months to maintain the supply and $200 per two months to pay for big government to send the bill .
Gold plated poles and wires = Gold plated service charges .
Even back in 07 Jo on this blog and contributors showed the effects it was having in European Countries and yet our Government just plowed on ahead not because it was wrong just because it was the green UN dream .
10
playing politics as usual:
5 Oct: FairfaxDailyAdvertiser: Resident calls for re-regulation as price surge sends electricity bills through the roof
by Lachlan Grey
2016 Citizen of the Year recipient Kate Lonergan took the NSW Coalition to task on Wednesday morning, fronting national media at her Wills Street home with an impassioned plea.
“We’ve lived in Coota for 55 years but in the last few years it’s just gone crazy,” Mrs Lonergan said.
“We’re on a pension and we’re finding it really hard to pay our accounts on time.”…
Country Labor candidate for Cootamundra Charlie Sheahan used the opportunity to launch an attack on Nationals policy in the region.
“We were told back 2015 that there would be massive job losses across Essential Energy and across rural and regional NSW,” he said.
“Now to find that we have pensioners who are struggling to warm their houses because of the costs they’re paying for electricity is just unacceptable.”
http://www.dailyadvertiser.com.au/story/4969870/electricity-bills-under-the-spotlight-as-prices-surge/
40
Looking up the weather forecast on BOM this morning and the ad on the side was advertising large diesel
generators.
I have not been looking at generators, so it looks like a random algorithm found me and anointed me with this ad.
A sign of the times.
Ironic its on the BOM site.
80
FAIRFAUX…….
41
unbelievable – the problems are caused by not enough CAGW policies:
6 Oct: Bloomberg: Why Energy-Rich Australia Suffers the World’s Priciest Power
By Perry Williams With assistance by Jason Scott, Hannah Dormido, and Leonard Quong
Australia faces price spikes, blackouts as coal plants close
Industry demanding investment certainty amid policy paralysis
A bungled transition from coal to clean energy has left resource-rich Australia with an unwanted crown: the highest power prices in the world.
New Yorkers pay half as much as Sydneysiders to keep the lights on, despite Australia boasting among the world’s largest coal and natural gas reserves, as well as ideal conditions for clean power generation. A decade of political dithering and climate policy missteps have set its patchwork power system adrift, ratcheting up manufacturing costs and hurting consumers with a doubling in electricity prices since last year and rising risks of blackouts…
Natural gas was meant to bridge the electricity supply gap left by the shutdown of decaying coal-fired stations and the gradual shift to solar and wind energy. But rising exports of the fuel to higher-paying overseas buyers created a local shortage…
The government is also trying to convince power generators to patch up old and dilapidated coal-run stations, prolonging dependence on a fossil fuel the rest of the developed world is spurning…
The nation’s largest power generators are urging Australia to ditch coal and join the renewables revolution. Turnbull, whose harbor-side mansion is powered by solar panels, is reluctant to remove the fossil fuel from the energy mix lest it boosts power costs further…
The Liddell power station, perched on a lake in the coal-rich Hunter Valley, has come to symbolize Australia’s struggle with an industry linked to greenhouse-gas emissions and climate change…
For EnergyAustralia, a power generator owned by Hong-Kong’s CLP Holdings, the failure to anticipate electricity demand and supply stems from the absence of a clear climate policy…
“This issue of energy and climate change could easily once again destroy a prime minister,” the Grattan Institute’s Wood said on Bloomberg Television Friday…
Melbourne-based BHP Billiton Ltd., the world’s largest mining company, said it may curtail investments in its home country, while rival Rio Tinto Group said price spikes are putting projects at risk.
As well, a third of large industrial users of gas will either cut production or shutter their operations entirely due to the spiraling price of the fuel, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the country’s antitrust watchdog…
Wood, a former executive at Sydney-based producer and retailer Origin Energy Ltd., doesn’t see energy prices falling anytime soon, even as the country tries to ramp up renewable power sources…
***Almost 90 percent of the A$88 billion forecast to be spent adding power capacity in Australia through 2040 will go toward clean energy, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. It estimates less than 2 percent will be spent on coal, and even then only to refurbish existing plants, with the rest invested in gas…
So far, the move to clean energy has done little to lower the world-topping electricity prices in South Australia, where solar and wind account for about 40 percent of its power generation, the most of any mainland state…
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-05/how-energy-rich-australia-ended-up-with-world-s-priciest-power
30
at bottom, still pushing wind and solar:
6 Oct: Bloomberg: A Decade of Political Dysfunction Weighs on Australia’s Economy
With assistance by Ed Johnson, Michael Heath, Jason Scott, Angus Whitley, Emily Cadman, Adam Haigh, Perry Williams, David Fickling, and Hannah Dormido
A decade of political dysfunction is dragging down the nation’s prospects as successive governments have failed to enact much-needed reform. In a series of stories this week, Bloomberg explored the impact across key areas such as energy and housing policies, innovation and equity markets…
Political squabbling over the transition from coal to clean energy has created an unhappy paradox: a country with huge coal and gas reserves and ***ideal conditions for clean energy such as solar and wind is faced with crippling power bills and the threat of blackouts this summer…READ ALL
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-06/australia-s-lost-decade-weighs-on-economy-amid-policy-paralysis
20
6 Oct: FinancialPost: Lawrence Solomon: Why the ‘e’ in e-car actually stands for evil
Electric vehicles are for city folk. For most rural residents, their role is to give, give, give
Electric cars, the vehicles of choice for the virtue signallers among us, epitomize the confusions and the divisions in society. These vehicles aren’t environmental exemplars, as their touters claim. And they of course aren’t economic. They excel in one area above all: in exploiting rural regions and their inhabitants, mostly for the benefit of affluent urbanites…READ ALL
http://business.financialpost.com/opinion/lawrence-solomon-why-the-e-in-e-car-actually-stands-for-evil
40
I sort of liked this –
“Households are facing several headwinds, including record low wage growth, record levels of debt, slowing house price growth, and, importantly, sharply higher energy bills,”
I understand the first, and I understand the 4th, and to me the 2nd makes sense. The 3rd, slow housing price growth, is not a “headwind” since the only thing it will do is generate more of the 2nd if it were not so.
The only good appreciating property value is to anyone is if you use the equity, which, of course, will help drive retail sales. But it won’t lower debt or raise wages, which also will drive retail sales.
Only a banker could see slowing house price growth as a problem. It prevents him from renegotiating housing loans, thus making money, and when he forecloses because energy costs and rising prices have driven the otherwise marginal wage earner into bankruptcy, of course his eyes light up as his ears hear the “ka-ching” of the cash register. Then he cuts a deal with someone else on the property he now owns and makes everything back on “usury charges,” also called interest. “Greenies” are, in reality, one of the bankers best friends.
50
My view on the main drivers are – For decades the banks have been increasing their slice of the cake. Government policy aimed at economic growth has tilted the scales in favour of the banks by encouraging increasing level of household debt. The majority of Australians have or are working to support the banks. There was a brief period recently when mining held a dominant position but that was supported by the emergence of China. The spin off was higher wages for most Australians.
Now the scales are tipping in favour of the electricity suppliers courtesy of government policy tipping the scales. They are in a position to take a much larger slice of Australian output. The limit will be reached when every household and business abandons the grid. That is still a while off.
Those who cannot abandon the grid will pay what they can with government aid filling the gap. UK is already preparing to introduce energy price cap for disadvantaged. Eventually the grid will become localised similar to how electric power was distributed in the early part of the 20th century. The NEM is already dead, it just needs to lay down.
30
An industrial civilisation that runs on electricity and combustion…price of electricity and fuel soars…industry, employment, incomes, confidence dwindle…
Shallow-minded stirrers like the mob who hang out at Jo Nova will try and make a connection. We must stop this wave of populism with our best energy-saving brochures! Publish a study to blame gold-plating or misogyny or Russians! Model something! Torture any unresponsive data! GetUp will need to send in more red-thumbers!
91
Mosomoso,
You really haven’t been concentrating have you?
Re-read your intervention and see if you can identify at least two errors in your assumptions.
20
I see the overall plan is comming together. Taxes, power costs eta
The decent of a once fine nation is very sad indeed.
60
I think the first twinkle in their eye when discussing CAGW, was the taxes they could impose and collect. They love the idea of collecting taxes and giving them back to us in a lesser form that we could have used them for.
I get taxed at 32% of my wage. Every time I buy something I pay another 10% tax. That’s 42% of my wage as tax just to buy stuff for living a minimum cost life. God only knows how much they pull out of business. How the hell does the government spend half of Australia’s income and still bankrupt it?
80
A single zero means nothing, so governments append lots of them in covering the costs of doing whatever it is that they are doing, in order to provide community services, that you don’t want, in an attempt to make your life simpler.
Government is good. So lots of big Government must be better. It stands to reason. /sarc
90
No doubt, higher power prices play a part in retail sales slowdown. The other part may well be higher cigarette prices – smokers used to be the bigger, less thrifty spenders, but are now becoming impoverished.
As for restaurants and cafes,outdoor smoking was banned in Victoria during that period, and I notice that a lot of places that used to have a lot of customers outside having meals and coffee with cigarettes, seem to be pretty empty. Rip a few hundred dollars a day from the owners of those establishments, and it’s going to hurt and show up in statistics.
Regards.
50
?
10
‘…now becoming impoverished.’
A highly successful attempt to stop the young taking up the habit, but beggars the pensioners. If they applied the same draconian tax to alcohol and processed food it would save millions of lives and billions of dollars.
Alan Kohler reckons the interest free loans are maturing and that is why retail sales are slow.
10
OK
Got it
10
“OK Got it”
YA maybe! please answer.
Will Janoschka
October 6, 2017 at 12:47 pm
KinkyKeith October 5, 2017 at 9:15 pm
“I know that you have mentioned this before but maybe we can work with both set ups as long as the physical condition are kept in mind.”
I am interested and willing. Please propose the method for meaningful combination of measuring for the sake of measuring, (promotion), and measuring to falsify some guess, (science). 🙂
02
When setting up a model I have thought of possible ways of examining atmospheric behaviour.
In particular in considering the activity of CO2 in absorbing energy and transferring it on I have considered what might happen to a theoretical cube of air at ground level, that cube having sides of 1 metre.
It’s only a beginning to see what might be possible.
As you point out gases are well mixed and so my theoretical cube will not be a perfect vehicle for modelling but it is a start.
A question. If the ground IR heating mechanism of CO2 is actually real and considering that a heated parcel of gas would rise after taking in heat, is the logarithmic effect of CO2 still valid. Assume there is constant replacement of air with “fresh” CO2?
KK
12
A question. “If the ground IR heating mechanism of CO2 is actually real and considering that a heated parcel of gas would rise after taking in heat, is the logarithmic effect of CO2 still valid. Assume there is constant replacement of air with “fresh” CO2?”
NO! The surface lateral replacement of colder air, to be surface heated, indeed produces local ‘Thermals’ (induced atmospheric motion in the direction of zenith).
There is absolutely no spontaneous EMR flux in a direction of higher radiance at any wavelength or in any direction. Gus Kirchhoff’s laws on thermal radiation.
If near surface atmosphere is at a lower ‘radiance’ (temperature) then some radiative power transfer ‘to’ the lower radiance is likely; however EMR flux must always be dwarfed be conductive and convective sensible heat flux!
ONLY under the condition of insufficient physical mass (as in space) is spontaneous EMR flux significant at all.
In the CO2 absorption bands with CO2 above 180 ppmv; any possible surface EMR exitance is within 2 meters of the surface 97% absorbed and such atmospheric radiance is indistinguishable from surface radiance.
Spectral Radiance:
The measurable ‘potential’ for EMR flux transfer in the direction of lower, in each and every frequency, direction, polarity, and chirality, (perhaps even parity)!! Actual flux is always limited by the difference in potential.
Please give the mathematical spectral (frequency\wavelength) function the first derivative of Planck’s function with respect to temperature itself. At every wavelength it is highly dependent on temperature itself, (extremely non-linear). That function: d(flux)/(d(temperature) x d(wavelength)); depends on the sign of d(temperature) for its direction of one way flux.
Are you beginning to appreciate the magnitude of this this deliberate academic SCAM? Academics now cannot reverse themselves on this gross error about bi-directional thermal EMR flux, without destroying the entire University system. They were so sure! 🙁
All the best!-will-
02
Hi Will
I am assuming that in giving your No answer you are agreeing with me on the issue of the Log effect.
Even without convection, all IR has been absorbed just above ground, as you say 2 metres, and at the very worst 30 metres which I vaguely recall.
Adding more CO2 to this atmosphere would have no effect on the amount of energy absorbed by CO2 and simply lower your 2 metre figure to say 1.96 metres.
This may seem strange to say but the limiting factor here is not CO2 but Sunlight.
KK
02
This comment I would also assume relates to the big daddy of those dangerous green house gases, Water.
I can’t figure out why the scientists are not trying to reduce the amount of water in the air.
KK
12
“I am assuming that in giving your No answer you are agreeing with me on the issue of the Log effect.”
No log effect. No effect on surface temperature by increasing atmospheric CO2 whatsoever. All the same intentional scam for profit! 🙂
12
“This may seem strange to say but the limiting factor here is not CO2 but Sunlight.”
Insolation is very high on the list of power transfer ‘to’ Earth’s atmosphere. All such power transfer is matched by atmospheric EMR exitance to space.
Earth surface ‘temperature’ at any location is highly influenced by both gravitational and orbital angular momentum transfers between fluids on all bodies orbiting the Sun.
In order to possibly learn and understand; high time for both governmental and academic institutions to admit, ‘We don know S**T’ 🙂
12
OK
Thanks Will.
11
OK
Thanks Will.
11
As we have discussed and established, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has no bearing the temperature of air.
This means that there is No link between concentration of CO2 and atmospheric temperature.
This means that YOU CANNOT MODEL the relationship between them.
As I have frequently stated; there are no models.
The whole thing is a fabricated nonsensical pieces of manipulation.
KK
21
“The whole thing is a fabricated nonsensical pieces of manipulation”
Indeed! Do you think I can get over this insane desire to again ‘wind my ass’; by quickly drinking deca-grams (whole tumbler) of Glenfiddich? 🙂
11
Hi Will
I am assuming that in giving your No answer you are agreeing with me on the issue of the Log effect.
Even without convection, all IR has been absorbed just above ground, as you say 2 metres, and at the very worst 30 metres which I vaguely recall.
Adding more CO2 to this atmosphere would have no effect on the amount of energy absorbed by CO2 and simply lower your 2 metre figure to say 1.96 metres.
This may seem strange to say but the limiting factor here is not CO2 but Sunlight.
KK
12
“and at the very worst 30 metres which I vaguely recall.”
At about 1 km asl, in the CO2 absorption band, centered at 14.5 microns; optical depth; with 1/e transmission (37%) and 1-1/e (63%) absorption, of EMR amplitude\spatial modulation , never flux, remains at 10 meters for each and every 10 meter lateral path.
In that same atmosphere, in the 8-13.5 micron clear band that same ‘optical’ depth remains over 50 km, except for the (‘Kings X’) intervening clouds (fog).
Why oh why, cannot your governmental meteorological\Climate Clowns, at least “ask” of those that have attempted to measure this huge pile of CRAP! Perhaps ’tis because any that have attempted to measure, are still wondering whether to ‘scratch watch or wind ass’ 🙂
All the best!-will-
11
BTW in that mathematical derivative function: d(flux)/(d(temperature) x d(wavelength));
The “/” symbol never means divided by but instead mean function of.
Properly then;
Δflux ∝ Δtemperature x Δwavelength!
Mathematical ‘signs’ mean everything when approaching an asymptotic null. 🙂
12
For the mathematically illiterate\incompetent\incontinent red-th-umber.
Properly then;
Δflux ∝ Δtemperature x Δwavelength! where:
Δtemperature is always signed. while:
Δwavelength is always an unsigned interval!
Mathematical ‘signs’ mean everything when approaching an asymptotic null. 🙂
11
Dear Pat:
Giving me orders to “Read all” is a sure fire way to get me to read none…
@All:
Australia and California share climate and a race to excessive electricity costs from Gang Green Regulations. Here in California, it is cheaper for me to use camping stoves than my All Electric Kitchen, and I can make my own electricity from natural gas cheaper than buying it. Go figure…
I’ve not bought my own cogen system yet, though. Instead we are just going to leave the State next year.
We have also joined the group just buying the essentials. When out of work, you need not buy things like new clothes or new pots and pans. We’ve stopped movies out. A $10 Netflix is more than sufficient replacement. After downscaling from good restaurants to fast food joints, we now basically don’t bother dining out. Not enough value for money spent. I’m starting a batch of home brew cider today. Over $1/beer at the discount shop is just crazy, and a $10 pint in a club would yield 2 gallons of cider.
Oddly, I am happier now than when Rat Racing for the bucks before. Next year I go on the dole, er, Social Security… and while I feel a little guilty about “early retirement”, I don’t really need to buy much for a year…
In short, I’m “going Galt” in a modest slow way. Too bad for those companies and businesses expecting me to buy things… DIY or just do without is working fine for me. Today I fixed the furnace. Took me a few hours to figure it out when a service guy might be done in one, but $hundred or two not spent. Building a replacement fence with the neighbor. About $1000 not spent. (And about $500 tax not collected in making that $1000). My cement skill came back nicely. We’ll know my hammer skills on Saturday… I make frozen lunches the spouse takes to work. Full on real meals. That’s $9/day not spent (and the $4 tax to earn it). (When fast food crossed over the $5/lunch point, lunch out left the budget. My meals are better anyway).
That is how an economy slows and halts. On meal, one bottle, one DIY repair at a time. Oh, and I’ve stopped buying books. More than enough on the internet to read, and my library has dozens of books bought but not read yet, so while books had been a passion, they are now halted. In April I drop DirecTV and that $120/month. Replaced by a $40/Roku one time cost and the internet… I now use a $40 Raspberry Pi as my general computer. It is plenty. So scratch computers and laptops from the shopping list too… once you get into it, a DIY minimalist lifestyle is kinda fun.
Well, enough for now, I need to go mow the lawn and start that cider…
150
E.M.,
Welcome to the stopping feeding them club (a.k.a. Going Galt slowly).
I left CA early this year after wanting to do so for about five years. Moved back to the Midwest to a 6 flat that has been “in the family” for over 40 years. Sold all my property in CA and now can almost live on SS alone.
January light bill in CA was over $500 (heated with electricity). Dropped to roughly $30/month in my one bedroom apartment. Mostly for LED lighting and computer equipment. It is a basement apartment so it doesn’t need air conditioning in the summer.
Fortunately, I had the option to accept cheap fossil fuel based electricity rather than the local “carbon” free green collective based electricity for an initial, special offer, low price, of …. twice as much. The green collective automatically signed me up for the expensive stuff but I was able to shut that down rather quickly and dealt directly with the power company.
I don’t look forward to real winter weather once again. However, when I do work, my commute is to the north end of my living room to the computer area. It has a broadband Internet connection for delivering software products and tech support as well as infotainment. Hence, fighting bad weather commuting is not at issue. Let it snow. My over $2000 a month reduced cost of living will help keep me warm.
I do miss desert living, the wide open spaces, the mountains, and the ocean but the rest of what CA has become can sink into the pacific ocean for all I care.
120
Good on ya for leaving CA. It’s the only sensible conclusion, they ain’t gonna stop digging any time soon.
I’ve done things cheep most of my life. I’ve always owned old cars and done the repairs on them myself. Older cars are easier to repair too, so that helps.
I’ve made most of my own furniture except for the chairs and lounges.
I can do most repairs around the house, except for anything to do with electricity. That scares me too much, so I get a professional in.
I used to buy a lot of movies and alcohol, those are my pleasures. But since I hit hard times, I’ve been scrounging the dollar shops for old movies to watch and buy the cheapest bourbon I can find. I tried going without the alcohol, but the evenings are so long without it.
80
That’s the idea. If you don’t spend it, you don’t have to earn it. If you don’t earn it, you don’t have to pay taxes on it. If you don’t pay taxes, the government will still waste it but they have to work harder to do it.
Electricity has to be respected and understood. There are a few basic principles of working with it such that it can be done safely. I have done quite a bit of such work over the years. However, it is rather easy to mess up as well with shocking results (ouch!). So I can understand why you might want to avoid it.
Still, there is nothing quite like taking an old console radio (late 1930’s vintage) turning it into a broadcast quality radio transmitter. Then testing it to see how well you have done. This was fall of 1954 so it was vacuum tubes, resistors, capacitors, transformers and the like with a 320 volt DC power supply. The total cost was about 75 cents and about a week’s spare time to make it happen. All I had to do was to figure out how to use the components in a different way.
For the test I had a friend talking into an old carbon microphone and drove my dad’s car about 15 or 20 miles south of town. It was coming in on the radio as clear as if it were a professional broadcast station. It was a bit too good for the FCC not to noticed. I returned and decided that I was successful enough. I turned it off never to fire it up again. The important thing to me was that I had proved I could do it. Great fun!
50
E.M.,
Pat provides a form of clipping service, that puts relevant “news” in front of the regulars here. When he says, “read it all”, it is to highlight that the bulk of the lunacy is buried in the last few paragraphs. I for one, think his “free service” is well worth the money. 😉
120
Same here. I skip until I have the time and/or inclination to read some or all but have never interpreted Pat’s ‘read all’ as other than an invitation. There is lots to read if you wish to and often I do. Other times I haven’t the time or the interest in a particular subject. Pat supplies an amazing sample of relevant news to explore. (I don’t know where you find the time and energy Pat!).
Sometimes I follow the links…often Pat has précied the content sufficiently not to bother.
50
Nice! EM, Chiefio
Do not forget to tickle grandsprouts tummy for the greatest reward ever! That smile!
20
Renewable aid can’t be justified
JUDITH SLOAN
The waste of taxpayer money has gone on long enough; we must stop this nonsense.
The Weekend Australian
71
Move over, Ponzi; forget Bernie Madoff; ignore Enron; and dismiss collateralised debt obligations associated with subprime mortgages. Without a doubt, the biggest scam perpetrated against taxpayers and consumers is renewable energy.
And if you think this scam is just an Australian phenomenon, think again. With very few exceptions, governments all over the world have fallen into the trap of paying renewable energy scammers on the basis that it is necessary, at least politically, to be seen to be doing something about climate change.
But let’s take the Australian figures as an example of the vast sums of moneys being redistributed from ordinary consumers and taxpayers to the renewable energy rent-seekers. It is estimated that more than $2 billion a year is handed over to renewable energy operators by virtue of the operation of the renewable energy target and the associated renewable energy certificates.
But this is just the start. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency shovels out hundreds of millions of dollars annually to subsidise renewable energy companies, many of which are overseas-owned. Then there is the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, which was given $10bn in equity by the Gillard Labor government to lend or grant money to renewable energy companies. Evidently the long-suffering taxpayer might receive a return on this “investment”, but I wouldn’t suggest you hold your breath.
Then we have the actions of deluded state governments and their absurd renewable energy targets. Using the dubious technique of reverse auctions, state governments are effectively providing guaranteed cashflows to renewable energy companies for intermittent power using taxpayers’ money. Think Victorian and the ACT here, but Queensland is about to get in on the act.
It would be a worthwhile exercise to add up the value of all these subsidies, grants, concessional loans, guarantees and the like so we can get an appreciation of the size of the scam. There is no doubt the aggregate amount dwarfs any other government industry assistance aid, including for the now defunct automotive industry.
In point of fact, the amount of direct and indirect assistance given to those international car companies through the years looks like small beer compared with the renewable energy scam. But here’s the thing: people finally appreciated that the high levels of assistance to the car industry did not benefit consumers. Exactly the same point applies to subsidising renewable energy.
Consider what has happened in Germany. In a fit of panicked madness, Chancellor Angela Merkel decided the country’s nuclear power plants should be shut down, to be replaced with renewable energy. The plan is that by 2050, between 80 per cent and 95 per cent of electricity will be generated by renewables. The target for 2030 is 50 per cent — the same as our Labor Party’s target for Australia.
The last nuclear power plant is due to close in 2022 but Energiewende, the name of the plan to transition electricity generation, has hit serious hurdles, not least the extraordinary cost of the investment in renewables, now totalling about €650bn ($980bn).
And here’s another strange feature: renewable energy producers in Germany are paid more than €1bn a year not to produce because the stability of the system can be imperilled if there is too much renewable energy at certain times. It’s so European to pay an outfit not to do something — just think farmers.
Because the nuclear power plants were largely in the south of the country and the wind farms are in the north (where the wind blows), there is a need for substantial investment in new transmission lines. As a result of public objections to these unsightly new pylons, the decision has been taken to put the lines underground — at eight times the cost of the above-ground versions. It is now estimated the required new infrastructure will take much longer to complete, well beyond the 2022 deadline. The costs to the consumer of the German government’s radical policies are substantial. There is a specific levy paid for green energy, and retail electricity costs in the country are second only to Denmark within the EU.
Cunningly, the government has largely exempted large industrial users from the cost of Energiewende. And the absurdly high and long-lasting feed-in tariffs for households with solar panels — does the sun shine much in Germany, you ask? — has underpinned support for the policy.
But the real kicker is this: Germany will fail to meet its emissions reduction targets of 2020, set at a 40 per cent reduction from 1990. The actual figure is likely to come in at 32 per cent. Note that the decommissioning of highly inefficient, rust-bucket factories in east Germany in the early 1990s was a boon to meeting the target set by the government.
Then there is the issue of intermittency that plagues renewable energy around the world, including in Germany. Late last year, the wind simply didn’t blow for several days and a thick fog surrounded many parts of the country. The output from renewables fell to just 4 per cent of total demand. Battery back-up is of little use in this scenario.
That Germany’s electricity system is connected to neighbouring countries meant demand could still be met. Poland, with its black coal-fired electricity plants, in particular was able to fill the breach. But here’s the thing: Poland is now questioning if it will continue to accept wind-powered electricity from Germany because the profitability of its electricity plants is being undercut. There is talk of a block being imposed.
Of course, it’s not just the Germans who have fallen for this expensive scam. In Britain, the cost of renewable energy is still off the charts, although the cost of wind farms, now virtually all offshore because of local opposition, has fallen recently. But the figures are quite staggering.
In what is the mother of all subsidy schemes, the government holds auctions to award long-term contracts to companies on the basis of megawatt hours produced. There are now contracts in Britain whereby producers are paid £150 a megawatt hour (more than $250/MWh) for wind power produced.
The most recent round has still produced figures of more than £100/MWh, which is insane. And note that Britain continues to burn woodchips imported from the US to produce electricity because of the supposed environmental benefits. You know it makes sense.
In 50 years — hopefully sooner — my successor commentators will look back and wonder what the world was doing.
As the Australian government contemplates where to go next in terms of energy policy, the best approach involves acknowledging that enough is enough when it comes to subsidising renewable energy. The sector has been showered with favours, including volumetric guarantees courtesy of the RET. It is time it stood on its own two feet without any preferential treatment or financial assistance.
81
MATT CHAMBERS
Queensland’s gas exports rose to a three-month high last month, despite pressure from the PM to redirect gas.
The Weekend Australian
31
The Queensland PM has gas problems? Who would have thought?
30
PALACHOOK……
32
funny!!!
Annastacia Palachook
https://twitter.com/anna_palachook
31
Sounds about right
”
Something manmade that doesn’t breakdown very easily
Oct 6, 2017 at 3:17 PM | stewgreen
Thought you meant Climate Science.
Oct 6, 2017 at 3:33 PM | Unregistered Commentergolf charlie”
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/unthreaded/
20
This is the major reason why Toyota has closed down with over 2500 people now on the dole !
THANKS TO THE LEFTIST DINGBAT MALCOLM TURNCOAT TURNBULL!
61
Japanese companies plan on 25 years. This was decided 5 years ago before Malcolm and his bed wetters stole the Prime Ministership.
What broke the back of Toyota was not just the Unions, but the loss in the High Court against the Unions when Toyota wanted to deal directly with their own staff. They lost and the government of the day, Gillard’s Union government, did not intervene. Grossly unfair, Toyota was happy to stay because they were #1 in the Australian market and local manufacture still counted for something, especially when dealing with governments. Nissan, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors Holden and now Toyota have left.
Part of the Union agreement was that on closure the workers had to receive either two or three years salary in advance. Still, it was worth it, which tells you something of the cost of employing Union labour in Australia. Malcolm for his part is happy to let all industry go overseas. After all, he has never had a real job himself. Rich inheritor, lawyer and banker with his own money, which he openly keeps in the Carribbean.
As part of the international elite who push money around the world, he is insulated from ordinary Australians. If Tony Abbott had not won the election, Malcolm would never have been Prime Minister. Even so, only Tony’s strong leadership is now the basis of all Malcolm’s policies, except on electricity. As the former head of Goldmann Sachs in Australia, the money flows overseas in the thousands of millions. All handled by merchant banks who take a percentage both as a fee and on the exchange rate. Even the ANZ now has an 8% difference between buy and sell rates. Banks are making fortunes. Everyone is happy, except when the electricity goes off and the gas stops and whole cities are out of a job.
Never mind, we are all being asked what we think by post because no one trusts our politicians. In the future, Australians will vote directly by their phones. Who needs politicians?
121
PM Abbott and Treasurer Hockey had the sense to directly approach GMH, Ford & Toyoto management and ask if they were planning to stop manufacturing in Australia. They were, and had no choice but to confirm the exit planning.
So the Abbott Government removed their taxpayer subsidies immediately.
We are not paying part of their expenses.
31
I mean they are not on the dole. Not for 3 years. Toyota is paying their wages for three years to do nothing. That hasn’t changed.
92
Coming to a town near you if Calgary is any example.
http://blog.friendsofscience.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/City-of-Calgary-Climate-Policy-Cost-Benefit-Overview-Sept-8-2017-FINAL-A.pdf
http://blog.friendsofscience.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Calgary-Climate-Change-Plan-3-REV-FINAL-sept-13-2017.pdf
20
You folks need a Trump, the US is coming back from the brink. All we got in Canada is the selfie king and need a Trump.
40
massive sign is #stop adani written in the sand!
7 Oct: HuffPo: Carmichael Mine Protesters Turn Bondi Beach Into Massive ‘Stop Adani’ Sign
The message was clear.
Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach has been transformed into a living protest banner against Adani’s Carmichael mine as part of a national day of action against the controversial project.
Organisers of the rally at Bondi said around 2,000 people were at the beach to spell out “#Stop Adani” in human form on Saturday morning…
Community groups and environmental organisations are staging over 45 events across the nation today against the project in Queensland’s Galilee Basin…
TWEET: Stop Adani: AWESOME turn out at the Bondi Big Day of Action: Listen up @TurnbullMalcolm to the 1500 people on Bondi Beach telling you to #StopAdani!…
Australian Youth Climate Coalition national director Gemma Borgo-Caratti said the mine posed an “unacceptable threat” to the nation’s future…
“Australia just sweltered through the hottest September on record, with the hottest days more than 16 degrees warmer than the average. Right at the time we need to take substantive climate action, Adani’s coal mine would take us in the wrong direction.”…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2017/10/06/carmichael-mine-protesters-turn-bondi-beach-into-massive-stop-adani-sign_a_23235665/
7 Oct: HuffPo: Carmichael Mine Protesters Turn Bondi Beach Into Massive ‘Stop Adani’ Sign
The message was clear.
Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach has been transformed into a living protest banner against Adani’s Carmichael mine as part of a national day of action against the controversial project.
Organisers of the rally at Bondi said around 2,000 people were at the beach to spell out “#Stop Adani” in human form on Saturday morning…
Community groups and environmental organisations are staging over 45 events across the nation today against the project in Queensland’s Galilee Basin…
TWEET: Stop Adani: AWESOME turn out at the Bondi Big Day of Action: Listen up @TurnbullMalcolm to the 1500 people on Bondi Beach telling you to #StopAdani!…
Australian Youth Climate Coalition national director Gemma Borgo-Caratti said the mine posed an “unacceptable threat” to the nation’s future…
“Australia just sweltered through the hottest September on record, with the hottest days more than 16 degrees warmer than the average. Right at the time we need to take substantive climate action, Adani’s coal mine would take us in the wrong direction.”…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2017/10/06/carmichael-mine-protesters-turn-bondi-beach-into-massive-stop-adani-sign_a_23235665/
above seems more likely “Green” voters than simply members of the public. nice timing?
7 Oct: Guardian: Richard di Natale targets Adani at Greens’ Queensland campaign launch
by Gareth Hutchens and Katharine Murphy
The Greens say they will offer Queensland voters a chance to clean up politics at the looming state election, and send a clear message that they don’t want the controversial Adani mine to proceed.
The federal Greens leader, Richard di Natale, will launch their campaign on Saturday…
40
You forever get this statement. “Most Australians”. We are even lectured on our opinions.
From the sheer amount of advertising on SSM, improper instructions from company chiefs, misleading and wrong statements, full page Advertisement in the Australian from Malcolm Turnbull’s Black Hand ministers, 500,000 phone calls, Australia wides smss, you would think Most Australians do not agree. Otherwise, why do they bother?
Now we are told ‘Most Australians’ oppose Adani. No! Ridiculous. Most of Getup, the Greens and Labor oppose Australians having jobs or an income or electricity or even living in Australia with any quality of life or having a say in who comes here and under what conditions.
61
My point is that Climate Change has reached this awful state. No debate. The CSIRO say it is all proven, correct and happening. So do the BOM. ABC/SBS. You are not allowed question Climate Change. Too bad no one knows what it is and after 1,000 man years of full time research, the CSIRO could not find it.
71
1500 on Bondi beach.
That is an incredibly LOW turn-out.
Mustn’t have been a sunny day !! 😉
30
FakeNews:
7 Oct: Guardian: Most Australians oppose Adani mine, poll shows, amid national protests
Thousands of people gather at 40 locations across the country on Saturday as part of the Stop Adani Alliance
by Michael Slezak
The polling (by ReachTel), ***commissioned by the Stop Adani Alliance, was released on Saturday as thousands of people are expected to attend rallies at dozens of locations around the country, expressing their opposition to the project…
The polling follows earlier surveys showing similar numbers, including one commissioned by ***GetUp in January, finding that three-quarters of respondents believed a loan to Adani was not a good use of public money. And polling by ***The Australia Institute in May found 59% of Queensland voters were opposed to any state or federal assistance for the mine…
***The Greens are launching their Queensland state election campaign today, which will focus on opposition to the Adani mine, and place the heat on Queensland Labor for its strong support to the mine…
Members of the Stop Adani Alliance – which comprises more than 30 environment groups – began to gather at 40 protests around the country on Saturday.
They plan to spell out “Stop Adani” in ***“human signs” at beaches and other prominent locations around the country.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/oct/07/greens-leader-targets-adani-queensland-campaign-launch
30
Who did they ask and how, exactly, were the reply options framed I wonder?
40
Well the survey was from getup so I’m thinking they only polled greenies .
50
Just arrived back from Oakie Queensland, west of Toowoomba, and noted there the many home made signs supporting a new coal mine for the area.
81
GetUp, Australia Institute , both VERY FAR LEFT Marxist drone organisations.
As joined by the **** to the Greens, they representing LESS THAN 10% or less of society.
50
7 Oct: Shepparton News: Barclay White: ‘Dirty diesel’ may be option
Alan Meyer has owned and operated Vic Feeds in Colbinabbin for more than three years and is just one of the many rural business owners stung by recent price hikes.
It has been a successful business, which employs seven workers and supplies farmers across Gippsland and the Goulburn Valley.
When it came time to re-negotiate his electricity contract this year he was expecting a mild hike, but he was not prepared for what he got.
‘‘We got a 110 per cent increase in one go,’’ Mr Meyer said.
‘‘It’s about $51000 for just the increase, it is the equivalent of putting on another person.’’
The re-negotiated price came about the time of the closure of Latrobe Valley’s Hazelwood power station, which provided up to 25 per cent of the state’s base load power.
WWF Australia listed the power station as the least carbon efficient in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, and environmentalists welcomed its closure.
But Mr Meyer said heavy users of electricity had been left with the costs of the closure, which could cost jobs…
‘‘The major businesses will be more likely to go offshore.’’
When it comes to re-negotiate his power contract again, most likely in a few years, he warned he would go off-grid with a diesel generator if it rose again…
State Member for Euroa Steph Ryan (National Party) had heard plenty of stories like Mr Meyer’s from across regional Victoria.
‘‘My greatest concern is the impact that these prices rises will have on employment in our community,’’ Ms Ryan said.
‘‘I don’t think we have touched the tip of that iceberg.’’…
She pointed to the closure of the Hazelwood power station and the Victorian Government’s policy of legislating its own renewable energy target for the large increases.
A transition to renewable energy was something she supported, but said little planning had been done to handle the shutdown of Hazelwood…
Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio blamed the Federal Government and its handling of energy policy for rapid increases, and not the closure of Hazelwood.
‘‘It’s created uncertainty in the sector and reduced investor confidence and that’s what’s driving up electricity bills,’’ Ms D’Ambrosio said.
http://www.sheppnews.com.au/2017/10/07/113213/dirtydieselmaybeoption
30
You increase royalties by 300% and treat coal fired power stations like lepers and give massive incentives for them to farm subsidies instead and wonder why we will have blackouts this year .
And why prices of electricity skyrocket , the pollies have no clue .
60
Dennis (comment #33 & reply) excerpts Judith Sloan’s “Taxpayer support for renewable energy simply cannot be justified” article in today’s The Australian. if only there were more informed contributors like Sloan in the MSM, especially at theirABC.
funny thing is, if you search ABC “Judith Sloan”, all the results are from 2011, ending with the following article, which is well worth reading in full, given the situation we find ourselves in today:
21 Nov 2011, The Drum: When is a carbon tax an economic reform? Good question.
Another weird line of reasoning about the economics of the carbon tax package relates to the higher investment that will occur in alternative energy. In the words of the Prime Minister, “it is a good thing that we have put a price on carbon so we can unleash $100 billion of new investment in clean and renewable energy.” These billions of dollars are quoted, while simultaneously ignoring the billions of dollars of capital that will be written off and the billions of dollars that will not be invested as a result of the policy. The jobs associated with the new investment will be identified but the job losses associated with the policy will be conveniently overlooked.
The facts that the resulting energy sources will be much less efficient and much more expensive per unit are often overlooked or acknowledged only in the context of the compensation being offered. The proposition that higher energy (and electricity) costs will lead to job losses in energy-intensive industries probably does not require an economics degree to understand…
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-21/sloan-carbon-tax-and-economic-reform/3682978
30
Judith Sloan also wrote the following in 2011:
18 Aug 2011: Australian: Judith Sloan: Their ABC is just ungovernable
(Judith Sloan was deputy chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation between 1999 and 2005. She is an economist and company director)
Demonstrating my courageous streak, I recently attempted to answer the first question on the ABC’s in-house website, The Drum.
The point I made was that it was not sufficient that consumers of the ABC derived private benefits from the output. Rather, the social benefits must exceed these private benefits — and by a very wide margin — to justify the expenditure of $1 billion of taxpayer funds.
Tsunami-like, the outraged comments flooded in…
There were, however, a small number of comments that did have an effect on me.
The core of these comments was along the following lines: as deputy chairman of the ABC for more than five years, what did you achieve to change the organisation to meet the challenges of this contested environment? This is an entirely legitimate and fair question to pose…
As a board member, I always got the impression from staff members that, according to their view of the world, directors come and go, while we are here forever. To be sure, they would generally be polite and attempt to provide some information. But there was little doubt about who was in charge: them…
Short of some broad-based and hard-nosed ***EXTERNAL review and significant cuts to taxpayer funding of the organisation, it is hard to see how the ABC will fundamentally change — and, of course, that suits the Friends of the ABC and other devotees just fine.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/their-abc-is-just-ungovernable/news-story/f59623e4e3af22ab6e93895806dd6228
Andrew Bolt has a thread on this ***INTERNAL audit today:
6 Oct: Guardian: Amanda Meade: Al Gore embroiled in ABC’s inconvenient audit
Editorial review finds journalists went overboard in interviews with former US vice-president.
From time to time the ABC undertakes editorial reviews to see if the news department is meeting editorial standards…
An audit of the ABC’s coverage of former US vice-president Al Gore’s visit to Australia in July turned up a more interesting conclusion. Gore was in the country to promote his new documentary – An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power – and he did eight interviews across all ABC outlets. One question asked by the review was whether eight interviews was unnecessary duplication. The interviews were on 7.30 with Stan Grant; on Hack with Tom Tilley; on Radio National Breakfast with Gregg Borschmann; on Sydney Radio Breakfast with Robbie Buck; on Perth Radio Drive with Belinda Varischetti; on Melbourne Radio Drive with Alicia Loxley; on Brisbane Radio Afternoons with Kelly Higgins-Devine; and on One Plus One with Jane Hutcheon.
The review concluded that the ABC should have conducted just ***two interviews, one radio and one TV – despite the loss of localisation…
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/oct/06/al-gore-embroiled-in-abcs-inconvenient-audit
***two would be two too many.
40
reminder:
7 Oct: TheNewDaily: ABC chief MD Michelle Guthrie condemns Turnbull government’s ‘vendetta’ media reforms
by Quentin Dempster (ex-ABC)
The minister (Communications Minister Senator Mitch Fifield) also agreed to Senator Hanson’s demands to name all staff earning more than $200,000 a year and to insert the contentious words ***“fair and balanced” into the ABC Charter…
6 Oct: Guardian: AAP: Michelle Guthrie accuses ABC’s rivals of looking for scapegoats
The government’s legislation secured support in the Senate by agreeing to demands from Pauline Hanson for legislation requiring the ABC to be ***“fair and balanced” and to publish the salaries of high-earning employees…
Michelle Guthrie omits to mention “FAIR AND BALANCED” at all. she’s obsessed with some kind of “diversity” instead:
6 Oct: ABC: ABC Managing Director speech at the ABC Friends Public Conference Dinner
By ABC Managing Director Michelle Guthrie
It is very apt that the underlying theme for this conference is “Democracy demands diversity”. My address tonight maintains there is no media and cultural diversity without the ABC and democracy would be very much the poorer in the absence of the national broadcaster…
This system, and the pivotal role of the ABC within it, has strong public support. We know it because every year we use an independent polling company to assess how the community feels about the ABC, its place within a broader media landscape, and its performance across the various Charter remits. Each year there is a consistent message from the public: a resounding endorsement for the ABC and its programming…
You are all aware that legislation will be introduced into Parliament in the next few weeks seeking numerous changes to the ABC Act. Ultimately, it is up to Parliament to determine the fate of those amendments.
However, the ABC position is clear. The proposed changes do not further the public interest. They do not “improve” the ABC as some have suggested. They interfere with the right and ability of the ABC Board to do its work and override the Privacy Act to force salary disclosures on our employees that no other public agency is required to do…
Catalyst is a good example of how the ABC has reinvented a long running program, giving it new energy and purpose, and our audiences have reaped the rewards. I recall at the time we announced the change it was pilloried as “dumbing down” science and walking away from our Charter obligations. The reality is the reverse. Catalyst has introduced the audience to new scientists and provided compelling viewing on topics as diverse as the miracles of the heart and the dawn of the driverless car…
The ABC is more accountable than any other media organisation…
The principles refer to a Charter responsibility to provide quality, innovative and diverse programming on radio, on television and digitally. My response? Only the ABC can deliver Gruen, You Can’t Ask That, The Conversation Hour, Landline, and Life Matters…
I will conclude by noting the final principle. It states, “that the ABC’s prime objective is to set the ‘gold standard’ for ethical, quality, specialist and diverse broadcasting nationally in the interests of informing, entertaining and stimulating our robust Australian democratic way of life”…
As the Chairman stated in his Parliamentary Showcase address in August, amid these challenging times of fake news and fragmenting markets, “the one incontestable fact is that now, more than ever, the nation needs a strong, independent and trustworthy public broadcaster”. An ABC that delivers for diversity and for democracy.
http://about.abc.net.au/speeches/abc-managing-director-speech-at-the-abc-friends-public-conference-dinner/
a quick random sample of the DIVERSITY on “Catalyst”. no sign of a sceptical segment found:
Catalyst: 2017 stories
3 Oct: Can We Save The Reef?
The Great Barrier Reef as we know it — 8,000 years old and home to thousands of marine species — is dying in our lifetime.
Can We Save the Reef? is the epic story of Australian and international scientists who are racing to understand our greatest natural wonder, and employing bold new science to save it.
22 Aug: Can Seaweed Save the World?
Professor Tim Flannery investigates how seaweed is helping to save the world – from growing the foods of the future, helping clean polluted water and even combating climate change.
Nov 2016: The Anthropocene: a new age of humans
Human impacts on the way our planet functions have now become so extreme many scientists are claiming the Earth has shifted out of the Holocene state and into a new geological epoch.
Oct 2016: Dr Jane Goodall Profile
Goodall: You hear this saying,”We haven’t inherited this planet from our parents, we borrowed it from our children.” We’ve been stealing from our children. We’re still stealing their future. Denying climate change is stealing the future for our children just to make money now.
Oct 2016: Coral Bleaching
This summer, large parts of the Great Barrier Reef saw the hottest sea temperatures and the most severe coral bleaching ever recorded – so before the next impact hits, scientists are racing against time to understand the demise of reefs and the prospects for their recovery.
March 2015: Antarctic Acidification
March 2015: Super Solar Cells
Dr Graham Phillips investigates new technology that is able to convert more than 40 per cent of the sun’s light into electricity.
20
Pat I still remember the old Catalyst doing a story on Antartica and melting ice , the footage showed polar bears in the background.
21
They were probably Kangaroos.
11
lol.
11
3 Oct: GWPF: New Study: Global Warming Standstill Confirmed, Climate Models Wrong
Nicola Scafetta, Aberto Mirandola, Antonio Bianchin, International Journal of Heat and Technology
https://www.thegwpf.com/new-study-global-warming-standstill-confirmed-climate-models-wrong/
40
From the paper …. ‘Thus, all evidences suggest that the IPCC GCMs at least increase twofold or even triple the real anthropogenic warming. The GHG theory might even require a deep re-examination.’
Yep, I’ll pay that and nominate Scafetta for the Red Team.
40
Richard Taylor in a guest post at WUWT has a close look at ice cores and is damning.
‘General CO2-lag in ice-core records and the lack of warming over the last 8000 years of extraordinary increase in CO2 show that the hypothesis of significant warming of the atmosphere by CO2 over the last century is absurd. Attribution of derivative effects (i.e. “climate change”) to CO2 is, therefore, ridiculous. These fictions, the dire prophecies that attend them and the disparagement of those that question them, however, are vigorously promoted and widely accepted. They seem to be as important socially as they are false scientifically.’
22
Stop Adani Alliance.
Rent a crowd have been gathering around Australia to protest against a mining venture in Queensland, ABC reports this afternoon. The story mentioned that the Alliance has many members, so I checked, and please take note who they are, including GetUp of course …
http://www.stopadanialliance.com/members
32
Read the stories too, scroll down, ocean heating, Torres Strait islands sinking, indigenous people without water, one example of the way over the top green fairy tales.
52
Sounds like the idiots at the abc (Australian BRAINWASHING Commission) have imbibed too much of the GREEN FAIRY !!
42
Ummm …. Alan Jones has joined Lock the Gate and I support them.
Of course they are misguided on climate change, but apart from that they seem nice.
We have to stop Adani exporting coal, as we pull down our power stations, a protest against laissez faire capitalists and greedy politicians is where we stand united.
20
Dennis I heard a blurb on it on the ABC radio the person they were interviewing don’t want coal to be mined on the Great Barrier Reef , personally I agree , don’t mine coal on the Great Barrier Reef .
40
robert rosicka –
not sure you will see this, but the Adani Carmichael mine is round 340 km south west of Townsville – nowhere near the coast or The Great Barrier Reef.
another myth from the Greens is that the reef would be dredged for the Abbott Point terminal. not true.
IMINCO: Adani Carmichael mine: Greens senator lives in a bubble
The latest ripple in the project to lap against Adani’s feet centres around GREEN Senator Larissa Waters comments…
The Senator let fly a battery of allegations against Indian conglomerate Adani after the Australian Federal Government indicated it may help finance some of the Carmichael mine project costs to construct the massive 300km rail link from central Queensland`s Galilee Basin to Abbot Point, near Bowen.
Taking Waters comments on board, Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche decided to fire his own shots back at the Senator saying the closest point to the reef that would be dredged would be some 50 kilometres away. The reef and its world famous coral outcrops would not be in danger.
“I challenge the Senator for Queensland to move outside her inner Brisbane bubble and go and talk to people in communities such as Townsville and Mackay that very much want the Galilee Basin projects to proceed,” said Roche.
“These communities are desperate for the thousands of construction and operational mining jobs in Queensland.”
“Contrary to her claims on ABC Radio, no proposal for development of Abbot Point port ever involved “digging up the reef”.
“Senator Waters continues to perpetuate the myth that the dredge material at Abbot Point will be dumped at sea.”
“In fact, as she should well know, the dredge material will be placed on unused port land.”…
However, a spokeswoman for Senator Waters said she had been referring to the dredging footprint, which is inside the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area…
http://iminco.net/adani-carmichael-mine-greens-senator-waters-outburst-incorrect/
also, as I understand it, not all the coal will be exported. some will remain here for domestic use. there’s so much anti-Adani, anti-coal stuff online, it’s hard to find links to post with the plain facts.
10
“nowhere near the coast or The Great Barrier Reef.”
Only ship that has recently caused any reef damage was a Greenpeace boat, iirc !
24
Am I wrong, little red thumbs
Or did I “trigger” you…… yet again. 😉
01
I read a lot in the last few days about how the CSIRO invented WiFi. Rubbish. They mean the international standard 802.11 which was years in the making from 1985 and involved many experts over decades and has been revised at least 10 times. Companies include Nokia, LSI and many more. The original WiFi was invented in the Netherlands and is long obsolete.
The making of this industry standard also involved at least 11 patents, possibly many more. However according to the CSIRO, they shy just short of saying they invented it. The reality is that they were more like patent trolls, with an unexpected patent and a lot of lawyers and it was cheaper to pay them off. Now it is what we get for 100 years of CSIRO expenditure at least $600million of taxpayers money and growing in numbers. Why?
Why did they put 350 full time staff specifically on Climate Change as well as the BOM? That is not to count all the other divisions. Are Australians really still spending something like $1Bn a year on researching Climate Change? Why?
So what do these geniuses have to say about shutting down coal power? Where are our scientific advisers? Where are the ‘problem solvers’. Or are they part of the problem? If so, why do we pay their wages?
92
I might also point out the in the history of WiFi, the CSIRO does not get a mention. We however are told how smart they are. Then there is the CSIRO diet.
51
New from WUWT.. Vostok ice core analysis by Russian SCIENTISTS.
Take-away line in the post
“….. show that the hypothesis of significant warming of the atmosphere by CO2 over the last century is ABSURD. ”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/10/06/news-from-vostok-ice-cores/
43
I used to think that fhe future of Australia was like that of Venezuela.
It is far worse than that.
I now think we are heading toward a North Korea style scenario.
21
I hope the glorious leader of the republic of Victoriastan doesn’t read this .
30
As our glorious leader said on Insiders this morning, it is up to our even more glorious prime minister to act on the stealing of our gas resources for export by big business.
10
Difference between Orwell and Huxley
“What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture….”
From “Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business” by Neil Postman
21
I vote Orwell.
The perpetual state of war, the fear-mongering, the re-writing of history, increasing surveillance and attacks on personal liberty…..
31
“the fear-mongering, the re-writing of history, increasing surveillance and attacks on personal liberty…..”
Ahh you mean the AGW agenda.
43
The Communist wet dream.
10
http://www.michaelsmithnews.com
31
The impact on expenditure may be greater than the 20% rise in energy costs experienced since July. The various State Governments, far from trying to deal with the cause of the rise are determined to continue with the cause. Further, to offset the power supply issues from lack of wind and sun, the authorities want to introduce expensive storage systems. Any rational person would expect further increases in costs and possible further power cuts. Prudent people (and most are) would cut back on expenditure to allow for expected cost increases and maybe the need to generate their own power supplies or have large batteries.
20
Kevin Marshall:
By a coincidence I have just been looking at my Bowls Club electricity accounts for the past year. The increase has been compounded by not only an increase in the rate for peak (27%) and off peak (24+%) electricity, but an increase in the daily service charge (21%) and in a new charge for sending you a bill, all of which then gets GST at 10% on top. All up just under 38% by this coming summer if no other increases are added.
The politicians in all parties (with the exception of 2 minor ones) aren’t interested in doing anything. The States have control of the issue and the Federal Govt. has leapt into the crisis without any effect or ideas on how to solve it, so has just managed after 6 months of waffling to collect some of the blame.
The future is looking grim, as the cost of electricity is now as high as power from a generator. Some people heavily inclined to Green ideas are already going off grid, confirming their lack of ability to do simple arithmetic, but it is starting a trend. As more go that way, the drop in revenue to suppliers will result in them raising rates again and again. With our current crop of politicians I see no solution coming. The fact that a week ago they were talking happily about the economy starting to boom again should give you some idea of their ineptness.
00
The problem is obvious. Electricity, as an essential service, should never have been privatised.
05
I notice that Dr No’s icon has a red-ish tinge to it. That seems highly appropriate, for a card-carrying comrade.
10
That would merely replace one problem with another. You forget the ‘feather bedding’ that occurred when the States ran electricity, and the neglect of maintenance and replacement in persuit of higher ‘dividends’. As supply was privatised and those problems sorted out the cost of electricity fell slightly, just in time for a scare campaign to make life expensive for the general public.
00
Recognising the solar power rort from the start I bought a 5Kw system and because the power companies were compelled to buy a minimum percentage of their supply in renewables I received a $0.68 feed-in tariff which is now being objected to by the very people who voted in Gillard and her Carbon Tax and now want it removed because only rich people receive it and the poor are suffering.
They will be happy to know the Feed-in tariff has just been raised to $0.713.
Next time they should think before they vote.
00
The Greens rely on handouts (donations ) and government funding to keep their guilt business alive .
When people can’t buy other goods the Greens incomes will also get hammered. We will then be fed feel planet saved stories
to ensure the money flows .
The Anarchists dressed up in green are just hobbyist’s and hypocrites that are active so long as Mommy and Daddy pick up their tab .
Why would the elected officials of Australia or any where else sewer their own economies for a fraud ? Simple .. Desperation .
They are killing the middle class , the really poor already pay no income tax so a carbon tax will just finish off the job and buy them a bit of time .
Politicians get elected to spend other peoples money . When the money dries up and spending must be cut the game is no longer fun .
00
It seems to me like there is some small cause to be grateful for this news: The green’s agenda relies on people not noticing that declining living standards or lower economic growth rates are related to green policies. While cause and effect are still visible and reported on, there is still reason for hope of a political correction.
The scariest thing is the gradual systematic economic-destruction of Western civilisation while the people affected don’t actually realise why it is happening. If you are are 10% worse of than your parents, and the next generation is 10% worse off than you, who notices enough to raise the alarm before social and economic collapse far worse than the problems of the 1930’s? This is how the green cancer metastasizes.
If people are still being informed about cause and effect then there is still hope.
30