=== Todays Toon ===
Sir John Michael Fleetwood Fuller, 1st Baronet KCMG (21 October 1864 – 4 September 1915), was a British Liberal Party politician and colonial administrator.
Sketch of Roman road at Neston Park by Skinner - no image of the governor of Victoria seems to be available. - ed=== Bible Quote ===
“Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands give me delight.”- Psalm 119:143=== Headlines ===
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: Freshmen Invade the Capitol
Like new students stepping off the school bus for the first time, Congress' incoming freshmen are swarming Capitol Hill with that mix of nerves, uncertainty and anxiousness known as first-day jitters — but these newbies have a lot more riding on their shoulders than good grades.Israel Close to Sealing Deal to Halt Building
Israeli PM Netanyahu appears close to getting cabinet approval on a 90-day freeze on construction in disputed West Bank territories in exchange for concessions from the United States
Air Security Backlash: 'Don't Touch My Junk'
Homeland Security defends use of body scanners and pat-downs, but it may not tamp down the outcry embodied by a San Diego man who's had enough
Romney Gearing Up For Second Run?
12 in 2012: If Mitt Romney makes another go for the GOP presidential nomination, he'll be an early favorite, but the health care legislation he ushered in as Massachusetts governor could be a liability
Family suffers amid wrangling over Watson
THE father of drowned newlywed Tina Watson says his family is losing sleep amid the legal wrangling over the fate of her killer.
'Refudiate' US word of the year
A MADE-UP word most famously used by US politician Sarah Palin has been named the Oxford American Dictionary's Word of the Year for 2010.
New Labor MP backs gay marriage
A FIRST-TERM federal Labor MP has broken party ranks by advocating a change to laws that prevent same-sex marriage.
Erin Brockovich town threatened again
ENVIRONMENTAL crusader Erin Brockovich says she'll step in once more to help save the Californian town of Hinkley.
Two in hospital after Sydney pub glassing
TWO people are in hospital after a glassing at a hotel in Sydney's inner west
Police nab machete-wielding robber
A MACHETE-wielding man has been arrested for allegedly committing two armed robberies in eastern Sydney.
More children using ADHD pills
NSW is Australia's ADHD drug capital, with the highest number of children - almost a third of the nation's - on medication.
Lui can contact his pregnant girlfriend
WEST Tigers halfback Robert Lui is back together with his pregnant girlfriend - who he is accused of assaulting, robbing and choking.
It's no gay time for MP Arbib
KEY Cabinet ministers attacked minister Mark Arbib, accusing him of undermining the PM with his public support for gay marriage.
Smoke forces jet back to Sydney
A QANTAS flight to Buenos Aires was forced to turn around an hour into the journey after the cockpit began filling with smoke.
Sailing's over for rescued couple
A COUPLE who endured 18 hours on a sinking yacht before being rescued said that their sailing days were over and done with.
Smart tap card just the ticket
THE tiny chip in most credit cards could soon get you through the ticket barriers on NSW public transport. It's a smart-card system.
Secrets of Sydney's ship cemetery
SHIPS in Homebush Bay's toxic mud are the last signs of Sydney's largest ship wrecking yard. See it
Crooks will cough up for crimes
CRIMINALS will be forced to pay into a compo fund to cover victims' trauma and damage.
'More help for battlers on power'
THE State Government must boost the number of vouchers for people struggling to pay power bills, says the utilities ombudsman.
Excavator off truck, blocks road
AN excavator has fallen off the back of a truck, bringing down a power pole and backing up traffic on two busy northside roads this morning.
No asbestos cover-up, says Bligh
PREMIER Anna Bligh says it's regrettable a school community wasn't told about an asbestos find, but denies there's been a cover-up.
Abandoned cigarette blamed for fire
POLICE are investigating whether an unattended cigarette may have sparked a fire in a Logan duplex, while the owner was visiting neighbours.
Hero drowns saving swimmer
A SWIMMER drowned off the main beach at Agnes Water, south of Gladstone, on Monday while trying to save another person.
Outrage over asbestos cover-up
THE State Government breached its own occupational health and safety guidelines when it decided to keep secret the discovery of asbestos at a Queensland high school.
Full marks for improvement
FIVE years ago Year 12 students at Woodridge State High School considered the final week of the school year a time to "wag'' or "head to South Bank''.
Greenies slam Abbott's rivers bid
A SUCCESSFUL bid to overturn Queensland's Wild Rivers laws would establish a dangerous precedent, scoring a direct hit on states' rights, environmentalists said.
Fury over 'hypocritical' pay rise
TENSIONS are increasing between police and the State Government after senior bureaucrats scored extra pay rises in a mockery of the Premier's own "wage restraint'' policy.
$500k to cool King George Square
CITY Hall will spend almost $500,000 greening Brisbane's King George Square in an attempt to quell outcry over the "too hot" design.
Traffic worker killed by truck
A TRAFFIC controller has been killed after being struck by a truck at roadworks on Brisbane's northside.
Police crack down on dangerous cyclists
POLICE will issue on-the-spot fines of up to $299 during a three-day blitz on dangerous cyclists.
Tyler gave us no choice, say police
POLICE officers who shot armed teen Tyler Cassidy were trying to protect the community, a senior cop told an inquest into the death.
Demons star mourns family tragedy
AFL star Austin Wonaeamirri has rushed home to the Tiwi Islands to mourn his father, killed in a car crash.
Quirky condoms cost us $50,000
ARTISTS have been paid to design quirky condom packets in a $50,000 taxpayer-funded art project to make safe sex cool.
Top crime professor walks out
ONE of RMIT's highest-profile professors may be stripped of his doctorate after a colleague caught him plagiarising.
Bid for rise in health premiums
VICTORIANS face another hit to the household budget with private health insurance premiums set to rise.
Cats giveaway proves popular
THE revolving doors of the RSPCA almost stopped spinning at the weekend after 110 felines were given away.
My missus gave me a spray
BODY-conscious men in their 40s are leading a growing brigade of blokes indulging in spray tans.
Sally to test her X Factor in final
VICTORIA'S Sally Chatfield is to take on Altiyan Juric and Andrew Lawson in The X Factor final.
Emma a bird-brain about dogs
EMMA is a 10-month-old emu. But she doesn't know it, instead picking up the habits of her canine best friend.
Demons star's dad killed in car crash
THE father of star Melbourne Demons footballer Austin Wonaeamirri has been killed in a car accident on the Tiwi Islands.
Man charged with torturing cat
A BRAHMA Lodge man has been arrested for allegedly torturing and killing a cat.
Unanimous vote combines Power, Magpies
PORT Adelaide Magpies members will tonight vote to unite the Port Adelaide Football Club for the first time since 1996.
White-masked men rob Parkside hotel
TWO men wearing white masks or handkerchiefs over their faces robbed a Parkside hotel.
Council could forfeit powers
A WARRING Adelaide City Council would risk losing its right to govern, the Property Council warns.
Local buyer snares slice of history
HISTORIC Medindie mansion Ennis, owned by Urban Construct managing director James Rice and wife Leah, has sold for more than $7 million over two titles.
165 Holden jobs tipped
STAFFING numbers for the returning second shift at Holden continue to rise, with the company now aiming to hire 165 new staff before the end of the year.
Class out on super schools
THE state's super schools will open just three-quarters full, figures reveal.
Cutting dog's throat 'not illegal'
HE admits fatally slashing the throat of his ex-partner's dog, but Trevor James Bond may yet avoid an animal cruelty conviction on a legal technicality.
Winning recipe runs in family
A TRIP to Italy and a deposit on setting up their own restaurant is how inaugural Junior MasterChef winner, Isabella, intends to share her glory with twin Sofia.
Man murdered at market garden
POLICE are investigating the suspicious death of a man at a market garden at Waterloo Corner, in Adelaide's northern suburbs.
Protesters block gas hub trucks
PROTESTERS caused disruption to Woodside yesterday when they stopped contractors entering a site near the controversial James Price Point gas project.
Woman killed in head-on smash
POLICE are investigating a car crash in which a woman died near Kojonup, 256km southeast of Perth, yesterday afternoon.
Zentai will not seek compensation
AN 89-year-old Perth man will not seek compensation for wrongful imprisonment after a court ruled he could not be extradited to Hungary to face a war crimes investigation.
Alleged toilet brush attacker charged
A 29-YEAR-OLD Hakea prisoner has been charged over an assault with a toilet brush on three prison guards.
Dolphin mums learn from their friends
THE best dolphin mums learn from their friends how to be good parents, a Shark Bay study has found.
Police charge alleged bag thiefs
TWO people have been charged over the robberies of elderly women who were allegedly followed home after winning at the casino.
Shop name dogs council
YORK Council is imploring locals to make more use of public comment periods after it had to approve a sign for a shop called The Dog's Bollocks Emporium.
Farmers coolly adapt to the dry
SARA Wilson knows better than most that the vagaries of farming can do your head in.
Girl, 2, killed in tractor fall
A LITTLE girl died in a tragic farming accident after wanting to have dinner with her dad, who was working late in a paddoc
=== Journalists Corner ===
"I'm not going to be able to do it alone. You've got to do it with me. One person alone can't do anything as important as bringing change and democracy to a country," Aung San Suu Kyi said this weekend upon her release from house arrest.We want to thank you for helping make this historic moment for us and for the people of Burma possible. Sustained international pressure, led by our government, the United States, was key to her release. Without your efforts and those of millions around the globe, Aung San Suu Kyi along with the daily suffering of the Burmese people would continue unnoticed.
But our efforts do not and cannot end here, now that Aung San Suu Kyi is freed. In fact, now is the time for us to double our efforts. Please donate to the U.S. Campaign for Burma today to keep up international pressure on the military regime and to show that you stand with Aung San Suu Kyi as she leads us and millions in Burma towards freedom, democracy, and justice.
Last week, Burma's generals held a sham election to legalize their military rule. But they did not represent the true ballots of the people. The last time the true will of the people of Burma came to light was during the 1990 general elections when Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy, won 82% of the parliamentary seats. Yet the ruling junta refused to give up power and placed her under house arrest and sent scores of political activists and elected parliamentarians to jail.
On November 13, 2010, Aung San Suu Kyi was released from her illegal house detention. But let us not forget that over 2,200 political prisoners remain behind bars and that ethnic minorities suffer attacks continuously from the Burmese Army. We must take this opportunity to call on the military regime to release all political prisoners, to stop attacking its own citizens, and to enter into a tripartite dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, other democratic forces, and ethnic representatives to bring national reconciliation to Burma.
The international community, led by President Obama and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, must press for this critical dialogue to happen, not only with words but through concrete and effective pressure.
Please make a donation to the U.S. Campaign for Burma today, to help us meet the big challenges ahead with our small but committed staff members to support Aung San Suu Kyi and other true leaders of Burma to reign in a new and better chapter in Burma.
Rep. Charlie Rangel Walks Out!As the ethics hearing for Rep. Charlie Rangel was getting under way today, the embattled congressman announced he didn't have proper legal representation and walked out of the room! Now, reports are surfacing that he used PAC money to pay his legal fees!
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The Lame Duck Congress
Is this lame duck Congress going get anything done when it comes to taxes? Neil is not holding back!
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New TSA Rules Causing Muslim Backlash?
Will new TSA rules apply to Muslim women wearing traditional garb? The 'Culture Warriors' respond! Plus, hemming & hawing over tax hikes! What will Obama do? Brit Hume reacts.
===
Guest: George W. Bush
It's a candid round table with President Bush and his inner circle giving a rare glimpse behind the curtain of his presidency!
On Fox News Insider
Glenn Beck: The Show is Going to Change Next Year ...Disney Star Mitchel Musso on His Efforts to Help Children with Autism
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: President George W. Bush on Fox and Friends
Why Is Justice on Hold for Alleged 9/11 Mastermind?
=== Comments ===
Who's Looking Out for You? BY BILL O'REILLY
"Who's Looking Out for You" is the title of my fourth book. That was the one that had me on the cover looking like Mister Rogers. And that question is very challenging today.
Looks like President Obama is getting his butt kicked in the Far East this week, as many nations are yelling at him for allowing the devaluation of the dollar. The president and the Fed did this so American goods would be cheaper to buy overseas. But countries like China and Germany and Great Britain are not happy with that or Mr. Obama.
Add to that the chaos surrounding the taxation situation and the stock market is getting hammered because investors simply don't know whether the president is going to raise taxes in less than two months. Republicans, of course, don't want a tax raise and this situation could get nasty.
Thursday night, I spoke with President Bush about the state of the union and he was reluctant to weigh in on President Obama's governance, but he did say this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it's important for policymakers to understand most new jobs are created by small businesses. Seventy percent of new jobs in America are created by small businesses. Many small businesses pay income tax at the individual rate, and therefore, raising any income taxes will cause there to be less capital available for small businesses, which will make it harder to create jobs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Now, that's one of the rare times Mr. Bush has talked about what's going on in the country right now.
The problem that we, the people, find ourselves facing is not only economic chaos but a leadership vacuum. Figuring out what's best for America is getting harder and harder, and Americans are becoming frustrated.
For example, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican from California, said on Wednesday that President Bush had destroyed the Republican Party during his eight years in office. And some Democrats believe President Obama is destroying the Democratic Party right now, and they point to the election last week.
All in all, there is confusion in the air -- not good for the economy, not good for anything.
===
Labor’s broadband dream starts to pall
Andrew Bolt
The Greens do something useful:
THE Greens will try to force the Gillard government this week to produce the business plan for its $43 billion National Broadband Network. The 400-page plan was delivered to Communications Minister Stephen Conroy last week and the government has vowed to release the document only after it has been considered by cabinet and commercial-in-confidence information has been removed.Paul Kelly:
But Greens communications spokesman Scott Ludlam said he would use a mechanism in the Senate to try to force the minister to produce the plan by the end of the week…
Opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull also hit the airwaves this morning to accuse the government of being hypocritical for using the Productivity Commission to examine the case for carbon pricing, but rejecting opposition requests the commission also conduct a cost benefit analysis of the NBN.
WHAT does the Gillard government fear most? Near the top of the list is that the public will grow sceptical or even critical about its cherished National Broadband Network.In which case, Labor will be mortified about two things today - first, that its backbenchers understand so little about the NBN which they oversell so wildly, and, second, that journalists are now picking them up.
Here, for your entertainment, are extracts of doorstops with two floundering Labor MPs today, one of whom accidentally raises an interesting question - why this huge expense to give Australians in richer areas a service most already have access to?.
===
Just how old are these rioting “unaccompanied minors”?
Andrew Bolt
On MTR 1377 yesterday, I asked shadow immigration minister Scott Morrison why more than 200 boat people in detention - including the 40 Afghans who brawled in Melbourne yesterday - claimed to be “unaccompanied minors”, aged under 18.
A welfare official who teaches such detainees in one capital city tells me they sure seem older than that.
Morrison said such youths get better treatment in detention than do adults, but seemed to quibble with my contention that they were also better able to bring over their families.
In fact, it seems the “unaccompanied youths” know the loopholes better than does Morrison. Reader Brian points out this clause in the Department of Immigration’s application pack for a Class XA protection visa:
If you have been separated from members of your immediate family and are successful in your visa application and you are granted a permanent subclass 866 Protection visa, you may be able to propose them for humanitarian entry to Australia at a later date. With regard to a Humanitarian entry proposal an immediate family includes your partner, dependent children and your parents (if you are under 18 years of age).This is why law firm Minters says this of the Refugee and Immigration Legal Service in asking lawyers for pro bono help:
RAILS has a significant case load resulting from the release of large numbers of single men who have been found to be genuine refugees and released from Christmas Island. Many of them are being resettled in Brisbane. Among those single men are quite a few unaccompanied minors, (mostly) boys ranging in age from 15 to (almost) 18. RAILS is assisting these children who have been granted protection visas to be reunited with their parents and siblings who remain overseas. Completion and lodgement of an application by their parents is crucial because once the boys turn 18 it becomes far more difficult, if not almost impossible, for them to successfully propose their parents for an Australian visa.===
Don’t know what it is, but I have the right attitude to it
Andrew Bolt
The destruction of the very idea of knowledge should break your heart - and scare you:
THE proposed national geography curriculum lacks clarity and quality.===
NSW geographers are concerned it contains an inadequate focus on physical geography or the study of “capes and bays”, which underpins the study of the discipline.
The NSW Board of Studies argues the proposed curriculum will overemphasise social and economic geography at the expense of the study of the physical world. The sample structure for the course suggests students in Years 7-10 take a “cultural/social constructivist” approach.
The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority said yesterday the geography paper proposed that students become familiar with the various ways geographers approach their study.
By year 10 this would include various “locational, spatial, temporal and cultural approaches”.
A spokesman said it was not about cultural relativism, “but simply an acknowledgement that in the real world and throughout history, different people might look at problems of geography in different ways”.
Searching for Olivia
Andrew Bolt
Of course he must be tut-tutted, but only a drudge with a rulebook for a heart would sack him:
A PUBLIC servant looking for love has landed in hot water after he sent an email to almost 7000 Immigration Department staff searching for a girl he met at a party on Saturday nightOlivia should get the message now, and if she hasn’t replied, it’s time Tucker got it, too.
Steve Tucker, who works in the department’s Canberra headquarters, said life was “too short for regret”, but he now faces disciplinary action for misusing government computers…
He directs his email to an anonymous co-worker who had gone to the party on Saturday night with his housemate, Olivia, described by Mr Tucker as “tall and olive-skinned”.
“Briefly, I met Olivia on the Saturday night just passed. She left a strong and positive impression on me,” Mr Tucker writes.
“Unfortunately, people got in the way after we met and I didn’t get to finish our meeting how I wanted to. This has been bugging me ever since…
“I understand this is not the most appropriate channel. It is not my intent to misuse this email address.
“I have struggled to write and send this message. It has taken all of my willpower to do so. Life is too short for regret. This phrase I know you all can identify with. Have an awesome Monday.”
===
Petraeus warns of Karzai’s white-anting
Andrew Bolt
What is Hamid Karzai’s game, opposing what’s now working?
Gen. David H. Petraeus, the coalition military commander in Afghanistan, warned Afghan officials Sunday that President Hamid Karzai’s latest public criticism of U.S. strategy threatens to seriously undermine progress in the war and risks making Petraeus’s own position “untenable,” according to Afghan and U.S. officials.===
Officials said Petraeus expressed “astonishment and disappointment” with Karzai’s call, in a Saturday interview with The Washington Post, to “reduce military operations” and end U.S. Special Operations raids in southern Afghanistan that coalition officials said have killed or captured hundreds of Taliban commanders in recent months
If Swan thinks this is praise, no wonder he thinks the NBN good
Andrew Bolt
The Australian holds Wayne Swan to account:
WAYNE Swan’s shameless spin on the OECD’s report into the National Broadband Network will not save him from judgment over his part in this wasteful project.===
Nor will ridicule of the Paris-based body redeem Communications Minister Stephen Conroy. The Treasurer all but verballed the OECD yesterday as he rejected its criticism of the $43 billion scheme. On the ABC’s AM program, Mr Swan claimed the OECD had delivered “a very strong endorsement of the NBN overall”; that it had “made the case to roll out the NBN because we are way behind in Australia”; and that it had said the NBN would “promote further competition”. The OECD, he suggested, was “overwhelmingly positive” about the idea. Not true. The OECD said there were “substantial financial uncertainties” about a project worth 3.25 per cent of GDP. It warned that shutting down the existing copper network and main cable network would create a monopoly that “may not be optimal for cost efficiency and innovation”. It urged “competition between technologies in the broadband sector and, within each technology, between internet service providers”. If that’s a ringing endorsement, we’d hate to see a rejection.
Burma tempts Brown as our our Diggers don’t
Andrew Bolt
Bob Brown was keen to pay a sympathy visit to a man who’d trained with terrorist groups trying to kill us:
The government, in consultation with the American administration, is considering a request from Greens Leader Bob Brown to visit David Hicks at Guantanamo Bay next week.Bob Brown is not keen to pay a visit to the soldiers fighting the terrorists trying to kill us:
Senator Brown has also been forced to defend himself after it was revealed he has never sought a briefing from the Department of Defence on the war since the troops were deployed nine years ago, and has never visited the country to see the situation first-hand… “Going to Afghanistan, you have to be very careful that you don’t divert the time, the concentration, the wherewithal of our troops away from the task at hand.”But Bob Brown is now keen to visit an Opposition leader in Burma, and hang it if his presence diverts her time, concentration and wherewithal:
GREENS leader Bob Brown will seek a visa to visit the newly freed Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
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Gillard writes, Rudd trumps
Andrew Bolt
Whatever Gillard can do…
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has personally written to Aung San Suu Kyi passing on Australia’s delight in her release and support for her fight for democracy in Burma.Rudd will do better:
Australia was the latest country to offer support to Suu Kyi on Monday, with Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd saying he had spoken with her and promised that his country would continue to be her “reliable friend” in the future.(Thanks to reader Amused Qld.)
UPDATE
There is no doubting her courage, principles or passion:
FREED Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has risked the ire of the Burmese military regime and raised questions about Burma’s recent elections.The one criticism I have heard of her on my own trips to Burma is her lack of flexibility and cunning. The hints in this report suggest she may have learned. We must hope, because the beggaring and closing down of a country once rich and relatively well educated is not just a tragedy but an immense crime.
Ms Suu Kyi has vowed to investigate and report any rorts.
“From what I’ve heard, there are many, many questions about the fairness of the elections,” she told the BBC by telephone. “There are many allegations of vote-rigging and so on. The committee that the NLD (her National League of Democracy party) formed on this matter will be looking into all these allegations and they will be bringing out a report.”
Ms Suu Kyi arrived at the party’s headquarters in Rangoon yesterday to begin the huge task of rebuilding her party, which was formally dissolved during the election. She and her colleagues have already begun to thrash out strategies for beginning talks with Burma’s military regime.
The ”Burmese Way to Socialism” has proved as miserable as so many other nations’ ways.
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Maybe they could swap places with Steve and Eddie?
Andrew Bolt
Born here:
Mr Walsh and his friends Steve and Eddie sit in camp chairs sipping cups of tea, protected from the pouring rain by the broad belly of the M4 motorway.Barged in by boat:
They are part of a small community of homeless men - and occasionally women - who have lived at the makeshift campsite in Harris Park since last Christmas.
But the men are bracing themselves for eviction today, having been told by the Roads and Traffic Authority that they must clear out or face charges of trespassing on government property.
DIAC is housing 115 “vulnerable family group” asylum seekers – who have been transferred from Christmas Island – in “alternate community detention” at the Virginia Palms (motel), pending the processing of their refugee claims…UPDATE
Refugee advocate Frederika Steen renewed calls for their release from detention.
“These people must be treated with dignity,” she said.
“There is no dignity in being detained in a transit centre, even a five star motel transit centre, because it constitutes a loss of personal freedom.
Has any official taken Steve and Eddie bowling, too?
ASYLUM seekers were given the run of Darwin’s 10-pin bowling alley as part of a Federal Government promise to treat them well. About 20 men, women and children played pool and bowls at Nightcliff on Sunday.Nice that we’re nice, but it would even nicer if refugee advocates stopped insisting we were cruel instead.
(Thanks to readers handjive and watty.)
===
How green madness and Gillard’s dithering is hurting you
Andrew Bolt
So how much is this green madness going to cost you, even without a carbon tax? Plenty, says Rod Sims, head of the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal, in his submission to the Gillard Government’s warmist-stacked Muti-Party Carbon Price Committee:
Looking forward, at least four factors will drive increases in future electricity prices WITHOUT a carbon price. The first two are not driven by Australia’s response to greenhouse issues, the latter two areSo the next time you hear a politician promising you more solar or wind power, be very, very afraid. And when Premier John Brumby promises to make Victoria the “solar capital of Australia”, now that this is a promise of suicidally high bills.
- Continuing increases in network costs
- Rising coal and gas prices
- The fact that the market is already accepting that very few if any further coalfired electricity generation plants will be built, yet base load gas plants are difficult to make economic without a carbon price
- There are many current non market driven greenhouse schemes which result in high cost outcomes e.g. measures to support household solar in particular as it is an extremely expensive form of energy, but also the LRET and many others…
Electricity prices in future will, however, even without a carbon price, now reflect high cost household solar schemes, and much more wind generation (due to the LRET) and the accompanying peaking plant, which are higher cost sources of generation.
Australia’s current main greenhouse response has so far been to provide incentives for household solar and wind generation in particular. These are high cost measures and ones where the additional cost is added to the bills of all electricity consumers
In the meantime, note that Labor’s threat of a “carbon price” has killed investment in our cheapest source of electricity generation, while its failure to actually impose one has blocked investment into the higher-cost alternatives. Meanwhile it’s papering over the cracks by subsidising the most insanely expensive form of power you could possibly think of.
It’s hard to think of a more comprehensive stuff-up, and one more damaging to our future.
If I were in charge I’d of course give every guarantee I could - through legislation, if possible - not to impose any “carbon price” until at least 2020, when the science of climate change might give us a clearer picture than it does now. But if I were a warmist like Gillard I’d abandon the promised emissions trading scheme as too complicated and prone to rorting, and unable to give industry a certain carbon price around which to plan. I’d instead impose the simplest possible carbon tax, set as low as I could get away with for as long as I could spin it out. I’m thinking of $10 a tonne by 2020, and $20 by 2040. I’d bank on people caring more about seeming to do good than actually achieving it - and preferring a symbolic fight against global warming to one that’s going to really hurt as much as it should if Gillard were serious.
Meanwhile I’d start to do a huge backtrack on nuclear power, our only serious option in cutting emissions by evne the minimum the Government wants - which Sims helpfully explains works out to a quarter of what we emit right now, per capita, and within just 10 more years:
Australia is currently targeting to reduce emissions by around 30% on a business-as-usual basis, or around 25% per capita, by 2020. This is usually described as a 5% absolute cut from 2000 levels.What do you think the odds are that we’ll get within cooee of that? Now think how deceitful the Greens are to pretend their own much higher targets are achievable in this or any other world.
(Apologies for being a couple of days late on this. I misdated the post.)
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