RET Review: Cat and Mouse Game

Can the following people give an unbiased review of the RET (Renewable Energy Target)?

• Former Caltex head Dick Warburton, who has publicly questioned whether carbon emissions cause global warming. 
• Economist Brian Fisher - previous work in oil and gas industry.
• Shirley In't Veld, former head of WA's biggest coal generator.
• Australian Energy Market Operator's Matt Zema

Now isn't that like putting a cat in the mouse house? 

What will you have after they've 'done the job'
Bare bones RET or nothing at all.
"For 14 years, the oil and gas industry has lobbied for the 20 per cent RET to be dumped."

Yet again shame on Tony Abbott and Greg Hunt, ministers of environmental destruction.

RenewEconomy's link to Solar Value Past Present and Future gives a good understanding of similar issues in the US.

http://www.ilsr.org/future-net-metering-distributed-solar/

Carbon Monoxide poisoning during the coal mine fire at Hazelwood this summer is the next whitewash. We shall see if the claims of the Fire Fighters Union stack up!

Christmas Cake & Donations- How to divide the portions

As I sit down to write this post my Christmas Cake is cooking gently in my electric oven. Its another cool overcast day here in Melbourne, ideal weather to cook cakes and not suffer heat stroke.
Once cooked I will have to write strict instructions on the cake tin to make sure the cake is kept intact for Christmas Day. Or I can do what my mother does and freeze the cake, bringing it out when I defrost the turkey.
More worrying is how to divide my donations to charity this year. There are so many needy people and organisations. With the various environmental groups reeling in shock with Federal Governments decisions to repeal the Carbon Tax, axe the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, dismiss the Climate Commission, approve the dredging of the harbour at Abbott Point, Queensland for an expanded Coal Terminal and encourage logging in Tasmanian World Heritage areas, I don't know where to turn.
Now Getup has another save the ABC campaign which also is deserving of help.

So sorry to some of my normal people focussed charities, I'm going to divide my donation dollars and support some of these environmental campaigns. After all people need to live in an environment that supports them with clean air, water, sustainable energy, sustainable work and reliable information. As worried Holden workers are finding to their cost.

As Tony Abbott said prior to his election win as reported by SBS News on the idea of a mandate:

“As an Opposition our job is to hold the Government rigorously to account. Oppositions are not there to get legislation through. Oppositions are there to hold the Government to account, and unless we are confident a piece of legislation is beyond reasonable doubt in the national interest, it is our duty, as the Opposition, to vote it down.”

Federal Parliament Resumes: The Calm before the Storm perhaps?

Like many 'normal' people I've been astounded by the lack of media surrounding the various decisions and policy directions of the new Abbott Coalition Government.
Any utterance from the previous government, not an official Coalition but an uneasy alliance of groups, was met from many influential media commentators with a form of viciousness and hysteria that effectively blocked any conversation on what was actually happening.
The current calm, honeymoon period would seem welcome except that I suspect the very media restraint has more to do with control than anything real.

My acquaintance with the 48 Laws of Power indicates Law 4: Always say less than necessary is being followed scrupulously by both Coalition politicians and their media colleagues. Thus we hear very little happening about the "Stop the Boats" promise. News is seemingly coming through, supposedly from Indonesian sources, of boats being stopped at sea, being 'sent' back to Indonesia and having this action refused by the sovereign Indonesian Government. The boats are then taken to Christmas Island.
End result - the policies are not working!
So although the Boat numbers have slowed, before and after the elections, due to the government policy of off-shoring the migration, the boats have not stopped. But our daily 'information' has.
"Knowledge is power" said Sir Francis Bacon (or the latin translation)
Lack of media criticism is worrying but lack of media hysteria is not.

Today Tony Windsor, ex Interdependent MP from New England, gave a thoughtful answer to why the Carbon Tax should not be repealed (ABC Radio 774) . As a farmer of many years and politician as well, I have always been impressed at how he actually answers the questions, not with personal attacks, OTT hysteria and a rising voice of anger, but a considered statement of his views, experience and indication of actual knowledge. He will be missed.

So the first action of Tony Abbott's Government will be the repeal of the Carbon Tax. I urge all the opposition parties in both Houses and particularly the Senate, to hold firm. Don't abolish the Carbon Tax. The people are not always right particularly if fed misinformation, business is not always right and the environment is needing a helping hand. We must pay for our pollution and we must allow policies that affirm the right of the environment ahead of almost anything else.
Can you imagine Typhoon Hiyan hitting Brisbane or Sydney?? What cost for a few $$ per day to us all, including business?

Laws of Power: Enough said.

Just a few more Laws then I'm done!
Law 7: Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit
I would say many people in all walks of life use this one regularly. I find this one particularly annoying and a true leader always gives credit where credit is due.

Law 9: Win through actions, never through an argument.
In spite of all the media around, the main way people understand is through demonstrating, not explicating. However, this law doesn't always hold true. Though the hapless Carbon Tax was demonstrated for almost a year, unfortunately it had implacable opposition so it will, eventually, be crushed. Among almost all the developed nations, Australia will be one of the few to throw out a market based mechanism in favour of a hodpodge of Direct Action. Big Business and Climate Change Skeptics won this one!

Law 15: Crush your enemy totally
Pretty obvious and this is what has happened to the Labor Party at State and Federal Levels. The Queensland State Labor Party lost the election and was reduced to only 7 seats in a parliament of 89. Crushed like an ant.
Tony Abbott's victory was resounding but not quite the crushing defeat it was feared.
However crushing Labor & Greens Carbon Abatement policies will happen swiftly.

Law 17: Keep others in suspended terror: Cultivate an air of unpredictability
Welcome to the Federal Public Service!  11,997 'redundancies' to go.
This has been used in the corporate world for years, but with the growing casualisation of the Australian workforce, more people are living on the knife edge.
However, I am supremely grateful we are not living in North Korea!

I'm Trying to Cultivate Serenity!

The 48 Laws of Power: Sharpen Your Pencils!

This is the name of a book my Mad-Scientist husband bought some time ago. Given the overwhelming trouncing of the federal Labor/Green Government in the recent Federal Election, its time to look at these Power Laws.
Law 1: Never Outshine The Master:  

By Robert Greene, 1998

Something Malcolm Turnbull has had to manage, successfully it seems.
Major failing by Labor Party and reason they got chucked out - revolving door of leaderships peeves the people off, big time!

Law 2: Never Put too Much Trust In Friends, Learn How to Use Enemies.
Friends are easily aroused to envy - hence the rise of Julia Gillard and the backstabbing by Kevin Rudd. See her Guardian Essay.
Clive Palmer is interesting as he is certainly one who can use Enemies. His current success in Parliament and his performance on ABC TV, Q and A last night was fascinating to see.
I would imagine Tony Abbott knows all about this one also.

Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions
This was a major ploy by Tony Abbott and the Federal Liberals in the last 3 years with minimal policy details, costings at the last minute and 3 word sound bites.
Clive Palmer also looks to be guiding people down the wrong path, envelope them in enough red-herrings (ex-military conspiracy in the Australian Electoral Commission on Q and A perhaps?). Bring along a Pen next time you vote!
Federal Labor was open and overly transparent, except when back-stabbing, deal-making and back tracking!
So the Conservation Movement is in for a fight with Abbott intending to allow fishing in Marine Parks, Commercial development in National Parks and opening the Great Barrier Reef to oil drilling and huge development of Coal shipping facilities, roll back of World Heritage forests in Tasmania. All mentioned in the first week of power!
Leaving it up to State Governments to do the 'Conservation' after many years of state over-development, resource extraction, land-clearing, fracking in farming areas, water pollution and coral reef degradation.
Hand in Cookie Jar surely!

But that's enough Power for now. I'll go back to the birthday cake I need to start icing!!

Wintry Woes- Budget time!

This last week or so is the time of the annual State and Federal Government Budgets. So along with the change to a cold and wintry weather, we have the various governments fiscal woes.
Last night the Federal Opposition Coalition Leader Tony Abbott gave his rebuttal of the governments budget.
The Federal Labor Government has made a mess - promising a surplus and delivering a resounding deficit for the next ten years, or so the commentary goes.
Mr Abbott promises to keep all the Governments savings and slash Public sector Jobs, abolish the Carbon and Mining Profits Tax, but keep paying out compensation to the Electricity and other large companies hit by the Carbon Tax. Various other  "savings" will occur so we can have paid parental leave, a scheme somewhat more generous than the current one. Other cuts include low income offsets to superannuation, and a delay of increasing superannuation contributions, all of which hit low income earners more.

At the same time, reports that the CO2 levels in the atmosphere has reached 400ppm and indications from various sources that the Carbon Tax, Solar and Energy Efficiency measures are working to not only cut emissions but also saving $$ in normal home owners pockets.
The Business Spectator reports that SP Ausnet's figure show Home Energy Efficiency Regulations  in Victoria are helping to reduce household gas usage. A measure the Queensland Government recently scrapped.
So what do you want? $600 in savings from taxes to spend on whatever you want, who cares about carbon pollution? Or a Carbon Tax that hits you each year through electricity prices, while watching regulations, solar and other efficiencies measure save you a similar number of dollars in living costs?

The Carbon Tax is less invasive than the GST was, has had a smaller effect on the economy as a whole as the GST and is a tax on pollution. The big miners are saying Australia is uncompetitive (I'm not linking to her speech here!). The high Australian $$, caused by the mining boom, have certainly helped wreck the small business exporters.  And those on the lowest income levels certainly are uncompetitive, in earning a living!
Lucky country indeed!