The environmental vandals
By 2353NM
Over the past couple of weeks we’ve looked at some of the less savoury aspects of the current Coalition Government, led (for the moment) by Scott Morrison. This week, how about we look at the environmental record of this government, which reaches back to the days when Tony Abbott was the Prime Minister.
Abbott was elected partly on the false premise of ‘the carbon tax’ which really wasn’t a tax at all. To be brief, a tax is something you can’t legally avoid paying. A trading scheme, such as an Emission Trading Scheme, is a process where if you make the economic choice not to comply with regulations, you have to pay a penalty. The choice is yours. As Abbott’s Chief of Staff admitted years later, ‘the carbon tax’ was a figment of the LNP’s imagination designed to bring down the ALP government, although to be fair, the ALP Government of the day was ably assisting the process by repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot.
It’s history that Malcolm Turnbull rolled Incumbent Prime Minister Tony Abbott in 2015. Turnbull attempted to introduce an emissions trading schem in 2018 which assisted Scott Morrison to roll Malcolm Turnbull and become Prime Minister.
AAP has provided a history of Morrison’s environmental credentials which seems to consist of maybe Australia will get to net zero emissions by 2050 (most of the world is actively working towards it rather than being aspirational) provided someone else stumps up the money and his caucus allows it.
We should remember Senator Michaela Cash’s claim at the last federal election that (then ALP Leader) Bill Shorten was going to kill off tradies using their ‘work’ vehicles on the weekend by subsidising electric cars.
“We are going to stand by our tradies and we are going to save their utes,” Ms Cash told reporters.
“We understand choice and that is what Bill Shorten is taking away from our tradies.”
She joined a chorus of Coalition figures who have criticised the Opposition’s announcement of a target for electric car sales to make up 50 per cent of the market by 2030 as well as new emissions standards for petrol vehicles.
While ‘fortress Australia’ attempts unsuccessfully to repel the infidel that may be carrying infection into Australia, the rest of the world is adopting measures that will improve the environment.
To purchase a petrol or diesel vehicle in the UK after 2030, it must be a hybrid – and even they are being phased out by 2035. Norway’s vehicle sales for the year 2020 were 141,412, about one tenth of the Australian annual vehicle sales. 83.45% of the vehicles sold were powered solely by electrons rather than fossil fuel.
In Australia, we are subsidising our remaining two oil refineries to upgrade and produce petrol that would only comply to the current European standards of sulphur by 2024 and the government has announced they will fund the installation of 403 electric vehicle chargers around the country.
The Gratten Institute has recently released a report calling for the removal of new petrol and diesel cars from sale in Australia by 2035 and subsidies for fully electric vehicles. Even the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industry agrees with most of the recommendations
However the FCAI has agreed with other aspects of Grattan Institute’s report, particularly its recommendations for tax reform including the axing of stamp duty, import duty, and luxury car tax on all zero-emission vehicles.
The UK is closing its last operational coal fired power stations by 2025 and Spain closed 7 of its 15 coal fired power stations on 30 June 2020.
The Coalition Government has attempted to interest the private sector in the construction of a new gas fired power plant in the Hunter Valley with no response – so they are funding it through Snowy Hydro which is owned by the Australian Government. It’s no wonder no one would build it for them, as news.com.au reported at the time, the plant is likely to become a stranded asset.
But Andrew Stock, a senior energy executive with over 40 years’ experience, said the construction of a new gas power station would not lower electricity prices for homes and businesses as promised by the government. He claimed it would only raise them.
“Gas is expensive and gas peakers that rarely run need to drive up prices to get a return … Federal interference in the electricity market also discourages private sector investment,” he said.
“Any potential shortfall created by the closure of Liddell Power Station (in 2023) would have been filled by the NSW state government and energy industry’s announced plans to build renewable energy zones and big batteries across the state.
“Renewables are the cheaper, smarter choice to meet future energy demand compared to gas, which is expensive, polluting and worsens climate change. This decision is an all-round poor move for Australian taxpayers.”
In the UK, a major 3.6 gigawatt gas fired power generator has recently been scrapped before it was built
Will Gardiner, CEO of Drax Group said “Our focus is on renewable power. Our carbon intensity is one of the lowest of all European power generators. We aim to be carbon negative by 2030 and are continuing to make progress. We are announcing today that we will not develop new gas fired power at Drax. This builds on our decision to end commercial coal generation and the recent sale of our existing gas power stations”.
And
Drax’s announcement was made on the same day UK analysis firm Carbon Tracker released a detailed report into the costs of heavy reliance on gas-fired power. “Betting on new gas today means shouldering consumers with higher prices tomorrow as well as missing the net zero pathway the UK government has committed to,” they said, in their ‘Foot off the gas’
We claimed a couple of weeks ago that Morrison obviously doesn’t plan for the future, rather reacts poorly to emergent issues while trying to ‘market’ his way out of the problem. Last week we questioned the morals and ethics of a government that thought it was acceptable to award contracts that run into the billions of dollars to firms with Liberal Party connections without a competitive tender process or throw money into electorates they either needed to keep or thought they could win at the last election, rather than address demonstrated needs across the community. While none of the behaviours that we have discussed over the past couple of weeks have been acceptable, the real crime of the Abbott/Turnbull/Morrison Government is the environmental vandalism they have perpetrated, as future generations will be adversely affected by the Coalition Government’s lack of action.
Technology and new products will assist the transition to better environmental management. To demonstrate the point, was Michaela Cash correct when she claimed that Shorten was coming after your utes when promoting an electric vehicle subsidy? In a word – no. Ford in the USA is now accepting pre-orders for an all-electric F150 truck with a potential $7,500 US Government Tax Credit! If a large American ute is what you need to carry your tools during the week and tow your boat on the weekend, you’ll survive in an all-electric vehicle world.
What do you think?
This article was originally published on The Political Sword
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16 comments
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Jean
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Keith
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New England Cocky
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BB
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HENRY RODRIGUES
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Josephus
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Roswell
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guest
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totaram
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Jo.
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wam
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DrakeN
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guest
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GL
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ajogrady
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wam
Return to home pageWhen there are electric buses on the streets – perhaps not in Australia but they exist – what was Michaela Cash thinking with her comment! By 2030 there’s every chance we’ll have the 50% electric cars – or more.
On climate change the LNP are downright dangerous. The latest IPCC Report is merely a document to file somewhere by the LNP it would appear. As per usual the “look over there” strategy is used through criticising China for having high emissions. China is already hit by extreme events and will also suffer more as global temperature rises further.
The IPCC Report says we must act right now, it states we will bypass 1.5C, though with a concerted effort that can be pulled back. The PM says we can use technology to reduce emissions … what technology there is nothing much about.
hAVE YOU SEEN THE CLPI WHERE A tESLA sPORTS MODEL TOWS A 747 JET LINER THEN RACES IT DOWN THE RUNWAY FORM A STANDING START, ONLY TO BE BEATED BY THE JET TAKING FLIGHT.
Have you seen the clip where a Tesla Sports model tows a Boeing 747 jetliner down the runway then races it from a standing start, only to be beaten when the jet takes flight at the end of the runway?
As usual, the Liarbral Nazional$ are poorly advised and demonstrate a preference for data supporting their preferred political outcome rather than fact.
But you comment Scummo is ”leader at the moment” is most intriguing ….. would any challenger/successor have sufficient time after the spill to re-organise the COALition from a self-serving, self- righteous, borne-to-rule, corruption plagued rabble and into a political party?
Scott Morrison is a fraud, an opportunistic liar, he is a total disgrace, a 100% insult to the high office of PM of Australia. Morrison advocates and pushes for a bullshit Gas led recovery idiocy which is the last thing the planet needs now. His advocating crap and support for fossil fuels is resulting in more crap like this latest Victorian clusterfuck. FFS! https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/16/victoria-consents-to-gas-production-from-well-near-twelve-apostles
Morrison Australia is now viewed on the world stage as an outcast and a detriment to solutions for climate change. He and his pathetic crooked L/NP imbecilic minions ignore the latest IPCC report. Morison is a die hard climate change denier.
YET Morrison is mouthing on with his forked tongue about covid as if he cares. He doesn’t give a rats arse. He just latches on to others endeavors as if he himself is the one who has a plan. He has no plan. He is full of crap.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/16/scott-morrison-criticises-was-absurd-plan-to-pursue-covid-zero-strategy-even-when-vaccination-high
Tries to make out that it has been his efforts that have secured a million more doses of Pfizer. Just more merchandising spin. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-15/australia-to-receive-1-million-pfizer-vaccines-from-poland/100378332 In the hope folks forget about how he fucked up the original 40 million doses of Pfizer.
No Scott, I have not forgotten. At the coming Federal elections I will be putting the Lieberal party and Notional Party LAST on my ballot paper.
Scott Morrison is a totally disingenuous obfuscating Prime Masturbator of the low life that permeates Australia’s government. Australia is suffering and will suffer for decades to come at the mess the L/NP have created, the lies, rorting just never end.
Scott Morrison pleads with NSW residents to stay home. Why are you pleading Scott? You have 800 ADF, and a zillion cops. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/15/we-feel-intimidated-residents-in-south-west-sydney-covid-hotspots-say-police-are-making-things-worse
Really Scotty well I am pleading with you to RESIGN NOW. It will be the only decent thing you do in your lifetime. I won’t be holding my breath as I know you don’t listen.
Scummo, the coalition, the Nationals, led by those arseholes Barnyard rooter, matt black canavan and the blob of crap Christiansen are all paid up clients of the miners and particularly the fat slob from the west. The only loyalty they exhibit is to those who stuff their pockets with the green stuff. But as NEC points out, the voters of New England and Qld love these bastards.
All donations over a small sum paid by companies and similar must be stopped and scams punished in the courts. This lot destroy any respect . Even The Australian is critical. And we must have a Bill of Rights. Which eg ensures a Treaty with the first inhabitants . So many reasons to rethink the Constitution also.
It’s fair to say that the Morrison government has no idea what it’s doing.
They ignore climate warnings, they don’t bother with getting enough vaccines, the debt is spiralling out of control, the economy is a mess.
But hey, house prices are going up. Much self-back-patting to be had.
Just a word about subsidies paid to fossil fuel companies.
In 2013 the IMF reported that 8% of all revenue generated by all the governments of the world went as subsidies to fossil fuel companies.
And about Tesla. This company was launched on the US Dow Jones Industrial Average at a time (June 2010) when Exxon oil was the most highly valued company.
What happened? In the 1980s Exxon had studied the effects of climate change and saw the future was looking glum according to the science, but in the 1990s it decided to stay with business as usual.
In early 2020, Exxon did not appear on the Dow Jones and made a net loss of US$1.7bn.
“Tesla’s value was now more than the next nine biggest car companies in the world combined.”
Nextera [a renewables company] in that same year made a net profit of US$1.7bn.
[This information appears in Dr Karl Kruszelnicki’s book “Dr Karl’s Little Book of Climate Change Science” published by the ABC 2021, pages 22-33.
Roswell: “It’s fair to say that the Morrison government has no idea what it’s doing.”
Sorry to correct you because it needs to be done.
It (the Morrison Government) knows perfectly well what it is doing. It is looking after itself and its “mates”.
If it is slightly inept, that is in hiding its actions and spinning them to look like they are for the benefit of all. But that is OK. Most gullible, uninformed, MSM-brainwashed voters will never remember anything and will be easily bamboozled into thinking how good this government is – by the time the election comes around.
Then there will always be the likes of Clive Palmer and other MSM outlets, including on TV, to tell the voters how horrible life will become if Labor ever wins.
So the carbon tax wasn’t a tax after all? Well that’s according to Peta Credlin who was politically smart enough to land quite a few low blows over the years including the pejorative labelling referred to above. And notice that she didn’t define a tax way back then and neither did she bother defining a tax when she supposedly ‘came clean’. Quite an achievement.
Says much about the lack of a critical consciousness among the punters when they believe, often without question, what they’re told.
Even in this piece, the definition of a tax as – something you can’t legally avoid paying – seems to have its problems but at least an effort was made.
I think your omissions on emissions are significant. The lying rodent and the lemon, no loonies, chose turnbull and wong respectively to produce a bipartisan scheme which was infamously defeated by the rabbott and his ally.
The next try was through blackmail by the newly elected loony and resulted in Juliar. Such pragmatic skills have been on display throughout his 11 years as a pollie and he is prepared for another two elections to force a coalition.
ps
yes jo the words tax and avoid are important: for a few moments labor had the media saying ‘price’ but the rabbott beat them down with the more powerful tax. You can avoid paying as much as you like just don’t evade.
@ BB: “Scott Morrison is a fraud, an opportunistic liar, he is a total disgrace, a 100% insult to the high office of PM of Australia.”
True.
One of a kind with the Coalition Parties which he “leads”(?) and with both the high-finance industrials and the organised religions’ con-artists.
wam,
your use of the word ‘Juliar’ betrays you. It is the name given to Gillard for her attempt to put a ‘price’ or ‘levy’ on carbon emissions.
It resulted in the shameful performance where people waved banners proclaiming “Ditch the Witch”, “Bob Brown’s Bitch” and “Ax the Tax”.
It led to disgraceful things being said on air about Gillard herself and her father.
In the end the levy which applied to carbon emitters was successful in reducing emissions while it lasted.
What have we got in its place? Not much, or nothing. While other places are talking of a price on carbon and a tariff on those countries which do not.
Credlin’s claim that Gillard was defeated by a tax which was not a tax is no idle boast – and has cost Australia a fortune.
Australia’s carbon emissions do not include its coal exports, but we are perfectly happy to criticise China for burning it “like there’s no tomorrow” (C.Mitchell, 18/8/2021).
Historically, starting from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, China has emitted half the carbon emitted by the USA.
As long as the L/NP are prepared to remain as a more than willing paid for party they will always stay attached like leeches to big business and the corporations.
There is no technology that stops stupidity or corruption. That is why the L/NP are relying on technology in their approach to the Climate Crisis.
wow guest good spotting any idea why the name was used? Try reading my post again and guess the blackmailer, his intent and see the connect to juliar??