Greens Launch:

The Australian Greens 'launched' their election campaign yesterday at Brisbane. Obviously Queensland is where this election is at with K. Rudd and T. Abbott spending lots of time up there as well.

The Australian Greens are facing a reduced vote following the Australian public's perception of their role in the last Federal, minority Government. The fall-out of not having a clear winner in the 2010 election will be made plain in this coming election.

So it will be very interesting to watch what Tony Windsor says on Australian Story, ABC TV 8pm tomorrow- entitled "A Voice in the Wilderness". A key Independant who helped form the patchwork that was the last federal government, he will have insights into the process of governing. Policies for Regional Australia, key infrastructure (NBN) and the Carbon Tax are all part of his legacy and perhaps his measured thoughts may help to change perceptions of incompetence that haunted the politicians of the last few years.

I was brought up with a 2 party (left/right orientation), first past the post system. But my country of origin has, since I migrated to Australia, moved to a more truly representative system. You get a patchwork of small parties leavening the major parties. Sometimes adding extreme 'colour' in terms of behaviour.

For Australians pining after the tried and true 2 party state, I hope for the sake of our environment, they also respond to Christine Milne's appeal to enable the Greens to hold the balance of power in the Federal Senate. But beware of preference flows.

As a previous older statesman, Australian Democrat Don Chipp, once remarked- Lets keep the Bastards Honest!
(PS: and where are the democrats now? Lets hope the Greens survive their brush with governing and leadership change)

Economics of Climate - Liberal Policy costings fail!

Yesterday the Climate Institute released a report undertaken by SKM-MMA and Monash University Centre for Policy Studies on the cost of the Coalition's Climate Policy. This report outlined a black hole of A$4 billion using the Coalitions Direct Action to combat Climate Change.
Setting aside whether the modelling done by the above groups is accurate, partially accurate or even if you believe its a complete fiction, one has to ask where and how the Federal Coalition will get the money to pay the big polluters to, pretty please, reduce their carbon emissions.

Coalition Climate Policy Report

The Conversation also has addressed the problem today.

When the recent Federal Labor party dropped its policy of paying owners to decommission old Coal Fired Power Station (which used to belong to us, the Victorian people a decade or so ago), there was a deep sigh of relief in our household.
It seemed incongruous, in a party who supposedly stood up for equity and working people, progressive social and environmental policies to be paying big business off.

Now we may have the Federal Liberal Party, who bats for individual choice, free markets and the ability of the rich to control even more of the common wealth pool, about to do the paying are we seriously expecting big business to do anything other than take our money (rent-seeking) and then do whatever they think is best for their bottom line and shareholders?? See this article by the Climate Spectator.

We just need to look at how well the free markets and big business in the car industry have managed to be innovative, cut costs and manage their business to make money and jobs for Australians.

The Climate Commission's infographic says it all and we are like the Ostrich sticking its head in the sand.
Roll on Election Day and the Government we deserve to have.

WA revisits its Feed In Tariff

Join them. I have!!

Congratulations to Solar Citizens and other groups who protested the West Australian State Government announcement it wished to change the Feed in Tariff for Solar house owners who were promised 40c. The announcement that they were going to reduce this to 20c was greeted with protests. People Power Lights up WA gives the full story.
As someone who purchased Solar Power a number of years ago I too am on a Feed In Tariff that is greater than the paltry 8c per kWh that is the current tariff. I hope the current Victorian State Government doesn't think to try and follow their West Australian brethren. However, I would personally prefer that Solar Power stands on its own feet, so to speak, and have most subsidies removed. Governments of all persuasions have bugger all credibility in this area with short-term thinking and swinging policies.

I think the tide has turned (sorry another metaphor) and so many people are now aware of the benefits, pitfalls and experience of solar power. I hope the current increases in electricity costs will continue to drive solar uptake and the current schemes to promote them are at arms length from all forms of government.

The Federal Liberals have promised to Cut the Carbon Tax and many of the various public service bodies, including the Climate Commission which are promoting the move to renewable industries.
Perhaps even the RET (Renewable energy Targets will be in the firing line, though supposedly both parties agree to the 5%  carbon reduction  reduction target.
"Election 2013 Issues: looking after Australia", by Andrew Campbell (The Conversation website) gives a good run-down on some of the problems of Government short-term thinking, unsatisfactory interference and general inability to have a bi-partisan approach to improving our environment, livability and climate problems.

If the current polling on the Federal Election is carried through to the actual Election Results then we had better be prepared for a steam roller (another metaphor!) over all sorts of things.
Perhaps I'd better get my protest shoes on and banners prepared.

Election Madness

As the September 7th Federal election announcement hit the news media last Saturday, before the actual announcement, I realised the radiowaves, ABC TV and newspapers would be almost unwatchable/unreadable for 5 long, cold, windy weeks.

So inspite of a number of interesting articles in the Saturday Age newspaper (business section) 3rd August 2013, we will get slogans (Stop the Boats, Axe the Carbon Tax) and spin from all the major parties.
1. Michael West "Demand for power down, demand for profits up" Pg 9 talked about the reality of falling power demand and the "fact that company budgets and profits are stuck on network spending".

2. Ambrose Evans-Pritchard wrote on Pg 12 "Peak oil : its still a harsh reality" that "the output of the five big oil majors- Exon, BP, Total, Cheron and Shell - has fallen by 26 per cent despite a relentless hunt for new fields" and I might also say the development of shale oil fields in USA and Canada.

3. Peter Hannam's article "Consumers switch on to solar power" shows that despite the falling Australian dollar and in spite of subsidies removal, householders are still installing lots of solar. Talks about large scale Solar Farms still abound though Spain seems to be changing their tariffs sufficiently to bankrupt the Solar Thermal Installations us greenies like to trumpet. See the blackly entertaining "Spain levies consumption tax on sunshine"

In the current election both parties are worried about the cost of living for 'working families'. So here goes with my responsibility list.

• Electricity regulation falls largely into the State responsibilities, as we have seen with the reduction of the Victorian Feed in Tariff to 8c.
• Petrol pricing is influenced by world pricing (with taxation by the Federal Governments.)
• The cost of housing and rent, a major expenditure by said 'working families' is determined by the marketplace - demand for housing, thus price, is increasing with increasing population. I haven't seen any form of Government influence this except to increase the costs with large handouts to first home buyers.
• The cost of water, in Victoria, is also a State Responsibility. We have seen a major increase in costs due to the ill-fated desalination plant built by the previous Labor State Government.

So how can the current Federal parties manage to help out on this stuff?

Wages for the 'working families' depends on your industry, but the only ones having large increases in earning power over the last decade have been CEO's of large companies, who are asking for tax cuts, no or low levels of paid-parental leave and benefits such as Fringe Benefits taxes.

Public employees are facing major job cuts as the economy tanks. So there will be major cuts to services in spite of promises by Labor and Liberal. With corresponding increases in unemployment and New Start and other Centrelink allowances.

Face it, for the majority of Australians, harder times, higher costs in basic needs and a structurally changing economy will provide considerable stresses. Will this be the "Recession we have to have?" no matter who wins on 7th September?

August Contrary Winds

Sneeze Inducing Wattle Flowers

August is often a most contrary month. Spring seems in the air with flowering wattles but cold winds and rain batter the fragile flowers and keep hay-fever sneezing indoors.
The political landscape is heating up again with announcements of new tax hikes for smokers and a deposit levy on savings in Banks,as well as the Fringe Benefits Tax changes on cars. The much awaited Federal Election date, is still awaited with the Labor Government keeping mum.

The boats continue to float or capsize into Christmas Island leading to new, draconian measures to dissuade the people smugglers and refugees/migrants. None seems to be working.

Dick Smith, serial entrepreneur, pilot and social activist flew into ABC TV last night with "Ten Bucks a Litre", a very Dick Smithian look at Australia's energy use and future. The Conversation's analysis by Will Grant "Dick Smith flies planes, weighs energy futures" reflected my feelings pretty closely with the closing scene of Dick sipping a cuppa in a forest shack ringing somewhat hollow.
What was overwhelming was the visual representation of all those open-cut coal and uranium mines and the role Australia is determined to play in exporting carbon dense fossil fuels to the rest of the world, not caring about the climate or about how this will affect our economy, already teetering.

Loy Yang Coal Fired Power Station & Open Cut Mine, Victoria

Although the title of his film was "Ten Bucks a Litre" indicating the rising cost of petrol, little time was spent indicating possible negative effects on the population, a subject that can be found in blogs such as "Our Finite World".
The movement from our current complex societies dependance on fossil fuels to less energy rich resources including solar, wind, energy efficiency and nuclear (for some in th e world) depends heavily on doing it early enough before economic, political and environmental collapse makes it impossible.
By the time petrol is Ten Bucks a Litre, will it all be too late?