By Jim McIntosh
There are people already starting to blame Labor for the catastrophe in the eastern states’ energy market. This, while the new government hasn’t even yet moved into its offices in Canberra. At this point, most of these people are on social media, but I’m sure it won’t be long before the hysteria will be picked up by other media with more vested interests.
I suspect that these folk are in the minority. In fact, I’m certain of it. Most of those now screeching loudly on this topic would most likely be what the former government described as ‘quiet Australians’, which in real terms translates to people with no coherent political world view and quite limited analytical capacity. The same folk who consume Murdoch media and watch endless reality television on the commercial channels.
You know; morons.
When the incoming Treasurer described the gas debacle as a lingering bin-fire left over by the departing government he was in fact being reserved. It has the capacity to become a recession-maker and will devastate whatever prospects Australia has for restoring a degree of manufacturing in the immediate to medium term. It is an unfolding disaster. How did we allow this to happen?
I believe it goes back to the Howard Government, when LNG exports first began. Howard gave the gas extractive industry a huge leg-up, by not requiring them to provide for any sort of strategic domestic reserve. They were basically granted a laissez faire, free and unfettered share of the market without accountability to the national interests at the domestic level.
People might screech and whine all they like about a two-week old government confronted by this event. All it means, though, is that regardless of the evidence, nothing will convince an idiot otherwise.
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Imagine if we didn’t have COAL-NP governments in power over the last decade and Labor with the Greens had been able to form a superior coalition of their own to continue on the road to renewable energy and structured carbon levies.
Imagine if Australia was now 80, 90 or even 100% renewable energy with a majority of electric vehicles and Green Hydrogen trucks on our roads. It was doable and possible if we started 10 years ago.
Australia would now be a much better place to live with low energy prices, much lower carbon emissions and a lot less carcinogenic fossil fuel pollution, low inflation, lower cost of living, a higher standard of living and its citizens looking forward to a brighter, greener future for our children and grandchildren.
If this isn’t the final wake up call to the Australian Labor Party to work with the Greens and Teals for a “Better Future” (as printed on the election billboards) then it will never happen.
We will continue to be at the behest of corrupt media and fossil fuel billionaires and politicians, who don’t care if they destroy our planet forever, as long as they continue to get disgustingly richer.
I feel that the problem goes deeper than the gas/energy market….it’s only one aspect of the neo-liberal/laissez faire free market economy and globalisation agendas of the last 5 decades. A new multi-polar global economy is emerging rapidly, accelerated by the Ukranian crisis, and led by China and the BRICS+. Given that our political classes have committed Australia to the US containment of China agenda and ramping up our offensive military capabilities, the foreseeable future is grim. Some energy security or food security or manufacturing security here and there isn’t going to cut it.
Imagine an Australia that was geo-politically neutral with an independent foreign policy, a truly ‘defence’ force, that redistributed its sovereign wealth more equitably and provided decent living standards and social security for all its citizens. An Australia that invested more in being a good, respectful, and helpful neighbour in our region than it spends on our arms race for nuclear weaponry and international, illegal wars as the US lapdog.
If we had gone down the path of renewable energy, Green Hydrogen, offshore wind farms and the electrification of transport, instead of 20 years of political climate wars, we wouldn’t have to give a shit about “energy security”.
Its Fossil Fuel companies’ greed and corruption that’s fucking up Australia and the rest of the world’s economies.
Guess who is making all the money from the chaos they created.
There is a way out. Go full speed on renewable energy transformation.
Jim Mc, there is a movie, or at least a doco, in this – the effect of surging energy costs based on the different State approaches to the use of national resources. Why does one State (WA) have a gas reservation policy and other States don’t? It would be illuminating for the public to understand how crap of negotiators are most govt agents. Who was the person or team that got that WA bargain over the line? That person or group of people deserve to be held up for critical acclaim in a doco/movie.
The average person has no idea that close to 1 billion tonnes of iron ore exported per year is given to exporters in exchange for lease fees and royalties. My understanding is that not one ton of ore is sold by a State govt to an exporter. As for the actions of Howard and the LNP govt, that long term deal they struck with China helped them out of poverty and helped put Aust into the perilous position it now finds itself. And still people vote for LNP.
Great & true article Jim! Sadly, ALL the lying fucking COALition are still at it–blaming Labor for everything the stupid bloody COALition has done wrong in the last 30 years or so–starting with the lying toe rag hogwart, followed by the ghastly rabbot , then smug talkbull & lastly, & the BEST was the incompetent, failed at marketing, lying slo mo!! What else can we ever expect from this lying rabble of a once proud Liberal party? And now they have selected lord voldemort as their leader, WTF??
Most of those now screeching loudly on this topic would most likely be what the former government described as ‘quiet Australians’, which in real terms translates to people with no coherent political world view and quite limited analytical capacity. The same folk who consume Murdoch media and watch endless reality television on the commercial channels.
You know; morons.
Love this comment. about as true as you can get.
Makes a person angry when they realise how so few seem to know the truth.