Turnbull’s election budget dumps on climate and renewables

(AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
(AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
(AAP Image/Dean Lewins)

What is widely regarded as the last budget to be delivered by the Turnbull government before the next federal election ceded no ground on climate policy, insisting that it’s much criticised emissions reduction targets would remain unchanged.

Budgets are not usually the platforms for changes in climate or energy policy, but they are an expression of the importance that the government of the day attaches to certain programs, its values and its priorities.

For the last few years, it has usually been just an opportunity for the Coalition government to steal from budgets  – from ARENA, the CEFC and The Climate Authority and this budget appears no different.

The budget delivered by Treasurer Scott Morrison on Tuesday night found $15 billion for short term hand-outs to average wage owners and promised a $140 billion handout in the future for mostly high wage owners.

But it couldn’t find a cent for any emissions reduction policies, and its only comment on climate and energy was to flatly reject the idea that encouraging more renewables will deliver cheaper electricity prices, as the renewables target is forecast to do by 2020.

Instead, Morrison – the man who brought a lump of coal into parliament in the middle of a heatwave last year – mocked the very idea of renewables.

“We will maintain our responsible and achievable emissions reduction target at
26-28 per cent, and not the 45 per cent demanded by the Opposition. That would only push electricity prices up,” Morrison said.

“And we will not adopt the 50 per cent renewable energy target demanded by the Opposition that will also only put electricity prices up.”

Energy minister Josh Frydenberg nodded furiously in agreement. And that was that for the Coalition’s climate and energy vision.

Morrison even claimed annual power bills will fall by $400 on average for every Australian household from 2020 “following the introduction of our national energy guarantee.”

But even what he called the “National Energy Security Board” has made it clear that the vast majority of those reductions will come from the benefits of the renewable energy target the government has demonised.

Morrison then went on to say that “all energy sources and technologies should support themselves without taxpayer subsidies. The current subsidy scheme will be phased out from 2020.”

This is the reference to the RET, but as environmental groups point out, the diesel fuel rebate scheme is budgeted to cost $30 billion over from now till 2021, including $1 billion a year just to coal mining companies.

Meanwhile, spending on the environment has been cut further, with no new monies for the emissions reduction fund, leaving Australia on a path of increasing emissions and no policy to address even its own inadequate Abbott-era targets.

Environmental groups also noted that budget cut continued – most notable to the Department of Environment and Energy, whose funding lost another $169 million and whose funding by 2021-22 will be 43 per cent lower than when the Coalition took office in 2013.

The Climate Change Authority, the independent body that Abbot tried to kill after it dared point out that Australia needed to aim a lot higher to meet its Paris commitments, is further trimmed, losing another $550,000 to just $2.9 million – less than half its first budget in 2011.

“This is a reckless budget that actively encourages climate pollution, invests little in clean energy and slashes investment in Australia’s wildlife, forests and rivers,” said Kelly O’Shanassy of the Australian Conservation Fund.

“This is a values choice by the Turnbull Government to slash investment in the clean water, healthy country and safe climate that sustains all Australians.

Labor’s climate spokesman Mark Butler labelled it a disgrace, noting it also confirmed the removal of the energy supplement for older and vulnerable members of the community.

“This budget makes official what we already know; Malcolm Turnbull’s Government is failing to tackle crippling power prices, failing our international obligations under the Paris Agreement, and most importantly failing all future generations of Australians.”

Butler also made note of the new data released by the International Renewable Energy Agency, which said overnight that renewables had created 10 million jobs worldwide, most of them in Asia.

Australia, Butler said, was missing out, and while it had enjoyed jobs growth for the recent (and much delayed) investment in large scale wind and solar projects to meet the RET, it could have been a lot more.

“If Australia had just kept pace with global renewable jobs growth, we would have 26,500 renewable energy jobs, almost 12,000 more renewable energy jobs than we do,” Butler said.

“The cost of the Abbott-Turnbull anti renewable crusade isn’t just higher prices and higher pollution; it’s at least 12,000 renewable energy jobs.

“Australia has the technology and the natural resources to be a world leader in renewable energy. But under this government Australia doesn’t even make it onto the world map of renewable energy jobs.”

The one bright spot?

The budget papers still include the $110 million promised for the Port Augusta solar tower and molten salt storage project in South Australia.

“The above figures incorporate the Government’s decision to make available up to $110 million for an equity investment, if required, to accelerate and secure delivery of a solar thermal project in Port Augusta, South Australia,” it says.

But still no word on when. SolarReserve, meanwhile, is thinking of adding a 70MW solar farm to the project, to further reduce costs and reinforce its viability.

 

 

Comments

93 responses to “Turnbull’s election budget dumps on climate and renewables”

  1. George Darroch Avatar
    George Darroch

    It’s even worse than that.

    If Australia had an effective emissions price (even a **carbon tax**) the government would receive money while decreasing emissions.

    But we’re stuck with the ideological junkyard which is the Liberal Party. Vote them out.

    1. Joe Avatar
      Joe

      Instead the geniuses, The COALition, dream up paying polluters $2.5 billions ( Emissions Reduction Fund ) of our hard earned / taxes only to result in Australia’s emissions going up and up and up these last three years. We should be demanding a refund of our $2.5 billions as we have been dudded big time by the shysters / The COALition.
      Climate Change is the biggest issue NOT tax cuts. Every young person should be hopping made with The COALition’s attitude to climate change. They / the young are going to have to live a long time with what is bequeathed from The COALition’s climate and environment non-policy. If the young really care about the world that they live in then vote the Coalition out. If they are too young to vote then they want to have a stern talk with their parents who are meant to provide a duty of care for our youngsters, yes.

      1. MaxG Avatar
        MaxG

        The young don’t care, neither do the old. The worst part, neither knows what the parties actually stand for. If they’d know what the LNP stands for they would never vote for them.

        1. Marg1 Avatar
          Marg1

          Hard to understand isn’t it?

          1. MaxG Avatar
            MaxG

            I borders to ‘unbelievable’ why this is so… but, once time is taken, and I had time (deliberately taking a break from work) and spoke with a lot of people where the opportunity arose. The one thing all have in common: education or the lack thereof. The AU system (even according to Howard in 1995) when compared to the world is on the first place — (pause) — in the third world category.
            When a young student can chose not to elect biology, physics and chemistry, along with social science, history, and a second language; while these are taught by default in say European countries, in that order, and provide a foundation of understanding of the world, most AU adults never acquire. Combine this with the daily rat race of chasing a dollar, most of which is spent senseless, there is no surprise how the people vote, and the literally useless, if not damaging leadership we have in this country.

        2. Ren Stimpy Avatar
          Ren Stimpy

          I think the young mostly do care. The old – aside from a good bunch of genuine heroes and thinkers – not so much.

          The young care a lot more about the big picture than the old do.

          https://www.businessinsider.com.au/world-economic-forum-world-biggest-problems-concerning-millennials-2016-8

          1. MaxG Avatar
            MaxG

            I have met and spoken with some 200 different people of all ages, from different walks of live, over the last 12 months. My disbelieve has turned into the realisation that there is no hope of change. One reason I get quieter by the day…

          2. Ren Stimpy Avatar
            Ren Stimpy

            There’s always hope of positive change, even if everything falls back to the default driver of change – cost. The only argument we are all having here on climate change is “how fast” can it be solved.

          3. MaxG Avatar
            MaxG

            I have no issue with the ‘here’ — pretty much all on the same page, but ‘here’ is not your average Australian; they are too busy consuming useless TV and chips, and cola, and what not. 🙂

          4. Ren Stimpy Avatar
            Ren Stimpy

            Those are a few of my favourite things. When the dog bites, when the bee stings…..

          5. MaxG Avatar
            MaxG

            No personal insult intended… 🙂
            As much as we try, a forum response cannot (and should not) turn into an essay that is sometimes required to explain a point.

          6. Ren Stimpy Avatar
            Ren Stimpy

            None taken, after all it’s true. I read the list while humming the Sound Of Music song…
            Useless TV and potato chips and cola
            [Video games and nachos with cheese guacamola
            YouTube and Red Bull and KFC Wicked Wings]
            These are a few of my favourite things.

          7. The_Lorax Avatar
            The_Lorax

            My impression also MaxG. Climate change is not something most people give a moment’s thought to. They’re not outright denialists, they just don’t care.

          8. Ren Stimpy Avatar
            Ren Stimpy

            Ah but young people with agile minds do care about the costs that our ageing 20th century system has loaded onto them, and while it may have been a great success back in the 20th century, that ancient system just doesn’t chop wood with them now in the 21st century.

          9. Andy Wilkins Avatar
            Andy Wilkins

            What arrogance. Thanking you can “solve” I.e. stop a climate from changing, when it has been changing since the earth was formed.

          10. Hettie Avatar
            Hettie

            Clearly a teddy bear is too advanced for you.
            A dummy seems more appropriate.

          11. Barri Mundee Avatar
            Barri Mundee

            Pray tell what made the climate change? Does is happen because it feels like it?
            Seriously, the climate changes due to “forcings” of which human emissions are main modern factor.

          12. Ren Stimpy Avatar
            Ren Stimpy

            What ignorance. Thinking you can deny the effect of fossil fueled industrialisation

            https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4436922011e2b75fa7efad8b2ee044f265787087b0fc3e5ea3f03528f49c478f.png

          13. Hettie Avatar
            Hettie

            Indeed. See my looong reply to Joe, above.

      2. Mal Avatar
        Mal

        The way to make money from erf is to apply for a land clearing permit or start a feedlot
        You then agree not to go ahead with not doing what you never wanted to do and get paid for not doing what you were never were going to do. Cockies loveit

        1. Ren Stimpy Avatar
          Ren Stimpy

          No wonder Barnaby was beside himself!

      3. Hettie Avatar
        Hettie

        I do so despise them!
        In 2013 Australia’s economy performance was rated the best in the world.
        Our carbon emissons were falling sharply after only one year of the carbon price. Unemployment was low, underemployment nothing like as high as it is now.
        The deficit was $191 billion and falling, though not as fast as had been forecast, because China’s growth and demands for coal and steel were cooling much faster than anticipated.
        Gillard and Swan had been doing everything right, but made the mistake of being over optimistic about China. Had the forecasts about returning to surplus been more conservative and thus more accurate, who knows what the result would have been. Certainly the stick the coalition had to beat them with would not have been as big.
        All in the past now.
        The young proved they care about Marriage Equality, and enrolled to vote in droves. Now they are on the roll, they are required at least to turn up on polling day, and many of them *will* vote.
        They have no reason to love the Coalition. They know who has put University and Tafe prices up, put the income level at which they must start paying back their HELP debt down, and the rate at which they must pay it up.
        They know that the Youth allowance they get while studying and the Newstart the might have to rely on if they can’t find work on graduation, are totally insufficient to live on.
        They know their chances of buying into the property market before they have children are vanishing small.
        They hate what is being done to refugees on Manus Island and Nauru.
        And they know perfectly well that they and their children may well not have a habitable planet to live on.
        They have many reasons to vote. Now that they are enrolled, their votes will not be going to the Coalition.

        1. Joe Avatar
          Joe

          Young Hettie, it is always a pleasure to read your words of wisdom. The measure of a government is how it treats those in most need of help and governing for the greater good. It is always the same with The COAlition, screw over those that are least able to fight back such as the young, the poor, the sick, asylum seekers. Australia is one of the richest countries in the world and yet there are so many things that need fixing up. Climate Change is the biggest single issue but as usual it is just avoided by The COALiition Climate Criminals. All that Two Tongues Turnbull and Lump of Coal Scotty want to crow about is their measly Tax Offsets of what $200.00 – $530.00 pa…..the election bribery has only just begun. John Howard made an art form of election bribery until the punters finally said enough, we want Government to deliver SERVICES. With the next election soon upon us, get ready for the COALition Helicopter to sprinkle more dollars over the electorate in an effort to erase the disaster of the last 5 years.

      4. Andy Wilkins Avatar
        Andy Wilkins

        The young should be actively hoping for a warmer climate. Cold climates are the times of disease and famine. Just read a history book and you’ll see what I mean.

        1. john Avatar
          john

          You obviously are not across the science are you?
          For instance what caused the historical extinctions?
          High temperature events.
          As to the present situation it is an economic problem.
          Not in the short time frame but the longer time frame.

        2. Hettie Avatar
          Hettie

          What are you smoking, Andy?

          1. Joe Avatar
            Joe

            I think we’ve got another one….Trolli.

    2. Robert Westinghouse Avatar
      Robert Westinghouse

      GD…Yes Vote the OUT…it is the only way. I read the reports on the budget and there were crumbs to the poor and those who can afford it get a tax cut. Criminal. I hate them

      1. Marg1 Avatar
        Marg1

        I hate them too Robert. No change for the unemployed or those on Youth Allowance. Appalling!

        1. MaxG Avatar
          MaxG

          As Hokey said: you do not need superannuation, because you’ll be dead before you need it… that mob also increased the pension age, gradually to 70.

          1. Joe Avatar
            Joe

            They’d raise the age for superannuation access as well if they could…make the punters work till they drop…no govt. pension and no early taking superannuation either.

          2. Andy Wilkins Avatar
            Andy Wilkins

            The lefties hate the pension age being increased. It means they’ll have to work for a bit longer. Lefties hate working. They expect everyone else to pay for them.

          3. Barri Mundee Avatar
            Barri Mundee

            Be gone troll!

        2. John Saint-Smith Avatar
          John Saint-Smith

          Even John Howard has said it is time to raise the Newstart Allowance.

          1. Joe Avatar
            Joe

            Surely ‘Honest John’ was taking the pisses when he said that. He and his government never cared much for the unemployed. His government loved to bash the jobless and happy to see the headlines of welfare bludgers being sprayed around by Rupert and all of his newsrags.

      2. Joe Avatar
        Joe

        A typical COALition pre election budget. Spread the dollars ( crumbs ) around like confetti and make the punters forget the preceeding years of brutal government. Only a Dolt would keep falling for that trick.

    3. Andy Wilkins Avatar
      Andy Wilkins

      Taxing the air. Idiocy personified.

      1. john Avatar
        john

        No taxing the Carbon which yes combines with air and is detrimental to you and more importantly your descendants.

      2. Barri Mundee Avatar
        Barri Mundee

        I suspect you really are the same troll who pops up here like a pimple from time to time- but switches names every so often when the old name has worn out it welcome due to the unvarying inanity of the”contributions”.

        1. Hettie Avatar
          Hettie

          That sounds right. I’m blocking him.

      3. Hettie Avatar
        Hettie

        You might like, if you know how, to look up what “personified” means.
        Your misuse of the term shows that it is you who is idiocy personified.

  2. Nick Avatar
    Nick

    Why are we surprised? Turnbull doesn’t care. The man is a criminal.

    1. Joe Avatar
      Joe

      Get the court proceedings underway with prosecutions against The COALition Climate Change Criminals.

  3. Ken Fabian Avatar
    Ken Fabian

    This is a government for whom being stalled on climate and energy policy is a desirable state of affairs. Best of all it’s own inaction and policy vacuum can be – and is – portrayed as someone else’s fault.

    1. MaxG Avatar
      MaxG

      It is everyone else’s fault! Complain to the people who voted for them which is almost half of Australia.

      1. Joe Avatar
        Joe

        Yes, that’s the issue isn’t it. Why don’t Aussies wake up!

      2. Ken Fabian Avatar
        Ken Fabian

        Is the popularity of climate science denial why politicians go along with it or is climate science denial popular because politicians promote it? I think they lend denial credibility – and influence – it otherwise would not have.

        No, the politicians aren’t let off the hook by denial having popular support; there is a duty of care, fiduciary duty, due diligence – call it what you like. If they don’t have the good judgement to distinguish between good advice and information and self-serving justifications they need to be called out. Of course something similar applies to journalists and news editors – who insinuate themselves into that circle of irresponsibility that gives misinformation the stamp of respectability.

        If our politicians don’t possess the ethical foundations to put aside the entreaties of the self-interested in favour of the expert advice they themselves asked for (because they aren’t scientists and demanded better information before committing to anything – from IPCC, BoM, CSIRO etc) then they are negligent. Yes, politicians enjoy a lot of immunity from legal responsibility but even so, if only by convention, that duty of care does apply. I think we should be reminding them of that.

        1. Hettie Avatar
          Hettie

          Wrong question, I think, Ken.
          People at large don’t want to think about AGW, because it’s too scary, a real existential threat.
          The Murdoch media, for reasons known only to Rupert, but I suspect connected to shareholdings in and sponsorship fron the fossil fuels industries, rabidly deny climate change and denigrate renewables.
          The Coalition is owned , body and whatever it is that passes for soul, by Murdoch and the fossil fuels lobby, that give big donations, provide job opportunities for retiring or sacked pollies, and campaign to keep their bums on the Treasury benches.
          So the masses are happy to believe the lies they are told about renewables and climate change, even when the evidence all around them is that the world is getting hotter.
          To believe the truth, in the absence of credible solutions, is simply too frightening. Denial is a psychological defense against something that can’t be processed.
          Those of us on these pages save our sanity it by trying to find solutions. But it’s getting perilously close to too late, unless an agricultural means of sequestering atmospheric CO2 can be confirmed and widely adopted. Soil C Quest (Google it) is promising, but marketing of the program is shit awful.

        2. john Avatar
          john

          Cutting the funding to the CSIRO in the last budget tells you the story.
          Obviously they get their information from the likes of the IPA who have zero science input.
          The idea is get rid of the information then no one will know.
          Works for the US of A known also as the Useless Soulless Ankle .

  4. Eb Avatar
    Eb

    The 2017-18 Department of Environment & Energy Portfolio Budget Statement mentioned the $110m for Port Augusta solar thermal power on page 27 as ‘Contingency Reserve’, (which probably means won’t happen anytime soon, if at all). I can’t find Port Augusta solar thermal power in the 2018-19 DEE PBS, where does the current, exact wording of this Liberal election commitment of $110m now appear?

    1. Giles Avatar

      Budget Paper 1, Climate Spending section (p.7-15).

    2. Joe Avatar
      Joe

      ‘Holler for a Marshall’ to commit to the Pt Augusta project.

  5. Nick Kemp Avatar
    Nick Kemp

    Fortunately this governments myopic views on energy simply don’t matter. Consumers are going solar (and now solar and battery) at an increasing rate. In the case of miners they are also adding value (refining and smelting) while they are at it. Major consumers ar signing up to or building their own RE projects to power factories and so on. Renewable energy will become the electricity source of the day simply because of economic imperatives.

    Then we have cars, current predictions are that there will be no ICE manufactures after 2025 and that EVs will be cheaper and better than ICE vehicles (and probably also autonomous)

    I doubt if this collection of clowns will have the humility to apologize to the Australian public when they have been proven to be a bunch of incredibly shallow graspers but it would be nice.

    1. Hettie Avatar
      Hettie

      A bit off topic, but we need a little ray of sunshine.
      Paradoxically, Abbott’s idiotic destruction of our car industry may have a good outcome.
      Surely no overseas vehicle manufacturers will continue to build ICE vehicles just for Australia. A tiny fraction of the world market, and right hand drive, to boot.
      Given that several jurisdictions are banning new ICE in the near future, and EVs are so much simpler to build, can any of you see manufacturers bringing out new ICE models? If you need to retool for a new model, why not make it EV?
      So new car buyers will have only EVs to choose from quite soon. Possibly as soon as 2025.
      That may be a game changer.

  6. Alexander Hromas Avatar
    Alexander Hromas

    Interesting the government that got elected on jobs & growth promptly shut down the best growth industry in town, Now we will be investing in armaments and space anything but a viable renewable energy industry where we still have a chance to be world leaders. utter wankers

    1. Andy Wilkins Avatar
      Andy Wilkins

      Lots of jobs in renewables for such a miniscule amount of power production? I call that highly inefficient and economically unviable.

      1. Hettie Avatar
        Hettie

        Sweetheart, you have demonstrated such a total lack of judgment in previous comments that what you call anything is a matter of supreme indifference to anyone with 2 neurons to rub together.
        Renewables were producing 17% of the world’s electricity in 2015, the latest figures of the International Energy Agency. By now, it will be closer to 35%. Hardly miniscule.
        So be a good lad and go play with your teddy bear.

      2. Alexander Hromas Avatar
        Alexander Hromas

        Andy, please get some reliable data before posting such drivel and showing off your total ignorance. I have a 1.4GW thermal power station and a 875MW BWR station on my CV plus several smaller renewable systems and the latter require far less manpower input per KW than the old central systems. if we are to go 100% renewable we will need to develop concentrated solar thermal stations in places like Bourke improving employment opportunities in these now moribund towns. Please get technically up to speed and leave the ranks of the knuckle draggers

        1. Joe Avatar
          Joe

          Alex, our ‘Wilko’ is another Trolli.

          1. Alexander Hromas Avatar
            Alexander Hromas

            Yes I agree the nice part is that no matter how much they huff and puff they cannot blow down a house built on facts

          2. Hettie Avatar
            Hettie

            Nice analogy

  7. Paul Surguy Avatar
    Paul Surguy

    High energy price means more GST to gov

  8. MaxG Avatar
    MaxG

    I used to be surprised about the shock and awe the people have about LNP policies. Then I realised they have no idea about what the LNP actually stands for. I reckon if they would, they would never vote for them.

    1. John Saint-Smith Avatar
      John Saint-Smith

      LNP stands for Lying Nasty Party.

      1. Joe Avatar
        Joe

        Love that! They excel at what their stand for….and thats all that they excel at.

      2. Hettie Avatar
        Hettie

        Some are saying Lying Nazi Party.

      3. Fabio Barone Avatar
        Fabio Barone

        LNP = Lies ‘n’ Propaganda.

    1. Joe Avatar
      Joe

      Superb!

  9. Chris Fraser Avatar
    Chris Fraser

    The flailing incompetents in Government have already been run over by somebody else’s energy policy …. Ours.

  10. John Gardner Avatar
    John Gardner

    Well, if we want to get rid of this federal government we’d need to make people understand that the miserable handout they got won’t make up for the increases in energy they’ll use as the climate warms up and the price of fuel rises over the coming years, not to mention the price rises for food as the land that we can use for growing it decreases due to rising temperatures.

  11. Laurie Varendorff Avatar
    Laurie Varendorff

    Based on the above information I cannot support the current Government at the next election. Will my vote cause the Liberal Party any pain in a safe Liberal seat? Probably not as Julie Bishop is my current member. Sorry [ I am a Liberal Supporter ] but I cannot support the Coal Huggers & Climate Deniers of this world no matter who the alternative party is. I must vote against the Liberal Member to get some movement going to a Sustainable Smart Energy platform & I advocate other to do so Laurie Varendorff.

    1. riley222 Avatar
      riley222

      Good on ya Laurie. If you’re compatriots in Wahroonga had the gonads, maybe they could do Oz a big favour and dump the mad, destructive, useless Abbott, and maybe let the rest of us get on with the future.

    2. Hettie Avatar
      Hettie

      Confining ourselves to what is effectively an echo chamber will do nothing the improve the anti- Coalition vote.
      We all need to try to get the word out to a wider audience.
      If you do facebook, or twitter, copy some of the more easily understood comments here and post them. Urge your Fb friends to share.
      Do a mass email to family and friends. Far easier than trying to talk to them all, and you can include links to articles that support what you are saying. Choose carefully. Too much boffin-speak is such a turnoff for those not in the know.
      You know that Murdoch will not tell the truth, but will back the Coalition to the hilt.
      So have the courage of your convictions, and do all you can to inform others about the damage the government has done, and given the chance, will continue to do.
      Not just to the climate, but to 95% or more of the Australian people.

    3. Hettie Avatar
      Hettie

      Good for you. Some issues are so big that all else is insignificant.
      Although I would say that impoverishing the already struggling to give to those who have more than they can possibly use, is a pretty big issue too.

    4. Hettie Avatar
      Hettie

      Laurie, in the 1983 election, I remember thinking, everything else will all be the same in a hundred years, but if the Franklin damage goes ahead, thet will be a permanent, irretrievable loss.
      Until then, I had been an unthinking conservative voter, first in New Zealand, and after 1972, in Australia. Didn’t really understand the issues, didn’t much care.
      My, how I’ve changed.
      So I sympathise with the difficulty of recognising that one issue outweighs all others, and following your conscience.
      I do hope that you will look at the rest of the issues too, and at the history of Australia’s economic health since the end of WWII, when you make your next voting decision.

  12. Michel Syna Rahme Avatar
    Michel Syna Rahme

    I have yet to see a proper campaign re the diesel fuel rebate… don’t you think those environmental groups should be in this case giving Rupert some money for full page ads across the country informing and reiterating that the same government that is railing against renewables is at the same time handing out diesel fuel rebates costings us $30 billion over from now till 2021, including $1 billion a year just to coal mining companies???

    1. Hettie Avatar
      Hettie

      GetUp is working on it, I think.

    2. RobertO Avatar
      RobertO

      Hi Michel Syna Rahme, While I agree with most of you statement , one little side effect is that my school receives about $1.00 per child from the Diesel Rebate and we might lose that. Our lawn mower is diesel and it get the rebate. All calls to actions can occasional have un intended side effects (and yes we would not miss the amount of money we get. When I first joined the school they were not receiving the rebate and after much discussion they finally applied and got about $6000 (they were told to submit their history as part of the application).

      1. Hettie Avatar
        Hettie

        It should be no great issue to keep the rebate of the diesel excise for off road use in general, but exclude exploration, mining and transport of coal, CSG and oil.

      2. Michel Syna Rahme Avatar
        Michel Syna Rahme

        It’s not always easy to do what is right! That is why we must all come together in a bipartisan way to find collective solutions towards the inevitable. Labor will provide more school funding rather than handouts to multi national companies making billions a year in profit via tax avoidance. If I was you, I’d be having more discussion with your school about how to apply for a grant to buy an electric lawnmower that can be charged from the schools solar system. We are installing a 650kW system for a QLD Catholic School… the world is moving on, please don’t get left behind, the kids at your school and across the world deserve a more secure future!.

  13. Glynn Palmer Avatar
    Glynn Palmer

    The budget does include another “bright spot” for the renewable energy construction and operation industry.

    Its financial forecasts to fund the future tax cuts are based on continuing population increases of 1.5% per year. Most of the population increase will come from immigration.
    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-09/budget-2018-australia-immigration-tax-cuts-surplus/9739822

    This increasing population will consume electricity. With the investment industry’s rejection of new coal power stations, the increased demand for electricity will be provided by renewables.

    Carbon pollution will continue to be spewed from the 20th century fleet of sub critical coal generators at least until their 50 years retirement date. But it will not be increased by new build USCPC coal generators that many representatives in the COALition yearn for.

    1. John Saint-Smith Avatar
      John Saint-Smith

      No doubt the More-ash For-us will use the excuse of increasing pressure on the existing grid to push for more ‘baseload’ generation to complement the rising supply of ‘reckless, unreliable and dangerous’ renewables.

  14. John Saint-Smith Avatar
    John Saint-Smith

    I think it is high time some socially and environmentally active legal minds explored the potential for an Australian citizens class action lawsuit citing the Federal Government for dereliction of its duty towards the people and the constitution along the following lines:

    “Through the government’s affirmative actions that cause climate change, it has violated the youngest generation’s constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property, as well as failed to protect essential public trust resources. ”

    This is from a US legal suit JULIANA v. U.S. – CLIMATE LAWSUIT
    https://www.ourchildrenstrust.org/us/federal-lawsuit/

    Other examples include: Renowned climate scientist James Hansen has joined a federal lawsuit on behalf of his granddaughter, Sophie, in what could eventually pave the way for a major civil rights decision.
    http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2015/11/children_sue_the_obama_administration_over_climate_change.html

    And again:
    http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/5/4/youth-sue-governmentforclimateinaction.html

    1. Hettie Avatar
      Hettie

      Unfortunately Australia has no bill of rights, and we have a government history of rushing to legislate to prevent any such class actions. The Constitution has no provisions to stop this, with the possible exception of the preamble, which states the purpose od said Constitution to be for the “Peace, order and *good governance* of Australia.
      AGW denial and delcon economics are clearly not contributing to good governance, but whether that is a basis for action is highly debatable.

    2. Hettie Avatar
      Hettie

      All good stuff, John, but Australia’s Constitution is not the same as America’s. We have no civil rights any more.
      The Common Law rights we had under MagnaCarta have all been legislated away by this pernicious Coalition Gov’t, in the specious name of protection from terrorism.

      1. Joe Avatar
        Joe

        ….and still the Dudton wants more power over us. Australia as a country needs protection from this very Government. Can only imagine what might happen if they win another 3 years at the tiller.

  15. john Avatar
    john

    Just on the benefit of using RE a Regional Council has decided to spend $2 million dollars on those ” Never will pay for them selves in a million years ” .
    The outcome for that small Regional Council is a saving of $500,000 per year.
    I guess that is just a little bit less than a million years.

    WHAT??

    Yes putting in solar PV on the buildings will save that Local Government $500.000 per year and will cost $2 million.
    Even with worst outcomes this will be a 5 year payback let alone the 20 years or more that the panels will deliver.

    1. Hettie Avatar
      Hettie

      Which Council, John?

      1. john Avatar
        john

        It is a small regional council.
        They also have replaced most traffic lights which work 24 hours a day with Led lights saving I would expect a lot of money from the old type.
        Considering for the same output of light using a LED uses 1/48 of the old type of equipment this is a total no brainer.
        As soon as the Local Council puts the information on their web site I will advise, atm it is only a verbal statement to local media.

        1. Hettie Avatar
          Hettie

          Interesting. Our local council, Armidale Dumaresq, has replaced all street lights with led, a coupleasure of years ago now. They are protected with mesh cages.
          Prices were far higher then, but between lower power consumption and redunction in replacement labour costs because of the longer life, it made sense then.
          Far more so now.

  16. Gregory J. OLSEN Esq Avatar

    It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3! Just vote them out next Federal election!

  17. Ian Jones Avatar
    Ian Jones

    If green house gas emissions reduction is one of the primary goals of a transition to a renewable energy economy, a Carbon Tax would appear an essential component. I understand it was very unpopular in 2012 – 2014 however this was mainly due to the fossil fuel lobby. Now in 2018 when renewable energy has shown it is technically viable I would suggest “Australia should give it another go!”.
    And to reduce any political backlash from people opposing new taxes, just make the tax revenue neutral. Look at https://www.carbontax.org/

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