Family First’s longstanding warnings about the failed energy “transition” pursued by both sides of politics has been confirmed in comments this week by the inaugural Productivity Commission chair professor Gary Banks.
“In the case of energy, the determination to meet overly ambitious emission targets while suppressing our only base-load energy sources will inevitably mean further price increases and less reliability,” he said.
He confirmed that Australia was simply shooting itself in the foot by closing energy intensive industries to meet climate goals.
There was “not even the consolation that we are at least making a difference to the climate,” he said.
“Indeed, to the extent that production activity shifts offshore, global emissions are more likely to rise,” he said.
Professor Banks said both sides of politics were to blame.
Further evidence of the lunacy of Australia’s net zero obsession and its impact on electricity supply being pursued by “energy” minister Chris Bowen came from the UK this week as reported in the Australian.
Terry McCrann writes:
“I invite you to see the Bowen future, playing out, in real time, right now, in the UK. But with some, and for us, utterly disastrous differences. It was coming up for dawn on Wednesday in the UK: just over 24,000MW of electricity was being demanded.
And how much was the UK getting from wind and solar – which, according to our local lunatic Bowen will be our power future – according to the official electricityinfo.org website? All of 90MW.
And, no, I’m not missing a zero or two there. And no, it wasn’t just for 10 or 20 minutes, but for hours.”
The UK met its electricity deficit by plugging into France’s nuclear power stations through its extension cord running under the English Channel.
McCrann right asks what Australia will plug into once we have closed down coal and gas?
Both sides of politics need to drop net zero and go back to the drawing board.
If we must de-carbonise, nuclear must be considered.
As marginalised LNP Senator Matt Canavan points out in the Courier Mail, Finland recently switched on a new nuclear power plant and their electricity prices fell by 75 per cent.
Our Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says nuclear is too expensive and he and Labor will therefore not consider it.
The Liberals are taking baby steps to dropping their opposition to nuclear energy.
The only reason Australia has a cost-of-living crisis is because of the poor decision-making of our politicians from both sides.