Delcons do matter — defiant non-left voters were “most influential group”

Aiming for the passionless imaginary center doesn’t work

Defcon, Delcon, T-shirtSome big surprises from exit polls from the Australian election day, thanks to the Australian Institute of Progress (AIP). Non-Greens third party voters (code for Delcons – or Defiant conservatives) were more interested in “cultural issues like immigration, Islam, gay marriage, refugees, industry protection and political correctness”. Graham Young, Executive Director of the AIP calls these voters the “most influential in Australia, effectively choosing who will form the government.”

The next election will be won by the party that manages to reap more than its fair share of the non-Greens minor party voters. They are up for grabs for Liberal or Labor.

In the end, around 50% of the Delcons are prepared to put Labor above Liberal in preferences (the nuclear option) —  showing how wrong Mark Textor’s theory is that the Liberal base “doesn’t matter” and the Liberals should aim for the centre and can afford to mistreat their base. Another theme I see is that parties need passion — when it’s missing from the base, it sure isn’t coming from the centre. As I said before Turnbull took over, “the passionate support base for the Liberal party will switch to other conservative or libertarian parties.” It was all so obvious. Turnbull had to personally throw in a million dollars to make up for some of the loss in donations.

One gratifying surprise is that the naked Mediscare campaign may have helped the Liberals and hurt the Labor Party. More people who named it as “important” were likely to be repelled by the scare. The Labor Party overdid it. The people who were fooled by it were already voting Labor, and some of the people who might have voted Labor saw it as heavyhanded propaganda. The Labor party could have won more Delcons if it had been halfway sensible. Instead they retreated left to “the green centre” and so alienated centre voters. Many Delcons had no choice but to go to a third party.

Another surprise — the economy, normally safe ground for the Libs, probably cost them votes. Fully a third of voters still care about the economy above anything else and the Libs hardly won any Labor voters over this time, but lost 3% of the economy-driven-voters who picked them last time (if only they could have run the anti-carbon tax theme eh?).

Superannuation, predictably, was a vote repeller away from the Liberals, though was an issue that only mattered for 3.6% of the population. (Presumably most people don’t have enough Super to care — that’s the 401k for US readers, Pension Provision for the UK.) I’d bet the larger cost of the Super Bomb was that those with more Super who were Liberal supporters stopped donating and volunteering to help. Graham Young doesn’t mention that effect, but even if the direct loss of votes was small, the passion causes an indirect loss that is larger.

The full analysis of of federal election exit polling by Australian Institute of Progress (AIP)  is available at these links:

If you are not already a member of Australian Institute for Progress you can join by clicking here.

The Mediscare hype probably worked against the Labor Party

This is comforting. It was a naked, dishonest effort which involved a lot of people on the street repeating the same false accusation, handing out gimmicky cards, effectively trying to “create” an issue where there was none. In the end it probably swung more people, especially the Delcons, to the Liberals. The Labor Party could have captured more Delcons if it had been just not so damn grubby:

“On Mediscare we found that there was a relative 2 per cent swing to the Coalition from last-time Labor voters, but a relative 1 per cent swing to the ALP from last-time Liberal voters.

“However, non-Greens minor party voters were 12 percentage points more likely to vote to favour the Coalition if they mentioned this issue.”

 Delcons do matter:

Textor thesis fails empirical test

Turnbull appeared unable or unwilling to address these [cultural] concerns, so these voters felt alienated. Contra the Textor thesis they also have somewhere to go. As demonstrated above, somewhere around 50% of them are happy to preference Labor before the Liberals. It is only a short jump from this to giving Labor a first preference.

Three issues in the election campaign were nominated as being vote changers.

…  15% of respondents mentioned Medicare, 3.6% Superannuation, and 36% the economy of economics. We then compared how these respondents reported their first preference vote last election versus whether they cast their preference to favour Coalition or Labor this election.

On Mediscare we found that there was a relative 1.88% swing towards the Coalition from last time Labor voters, but a relative 1.33% swing to the ALP from last time Liberal voters. The relative effect with Greens voters was a relative 3 percent greater swing to the ALP. Let’s call that a dead heat.

Superannuation was an own-goal, with a relative 9.43% swing against the Liberals in this group but the percentage of respondents who were interested in super was very small.

The economy was a surprise with a relative swing to the Coalition of 0.35% from last time Labor voters, but a migration away from the Liberals of 3.29% over and above the general swing away. However virtually all Greens voters who came across to the Coalition mentioned the economy.

These figures demonstrate how small the movements in voter preference are that determine governments. They also show that none of the issues run this election grabbed the public.

I think aiming for the real center still works, but not the imaginary fantasy “center”. The true center is sensible — they don’t want to pay to try to change the weather, nor symbolically lead the world on fringe issues. They don’t want governments to retrospectively change the rules. They do want hard work to be rewarded, and crime to be punished. They want welfare for the unfortunate, but not free gifts for freeloaders. It isn’t that complicated.

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175 comments to Delcons do matter — defiant non-left voters were “most influential group”

  • #
    TdeF

    The other dramatic lesson is that while Malcolm basked in his poll popularity with voters, it was only because he was very Left. That did not mean anyone on the Left actually voted for him or Turnbull’s Liberals. The votes won from the Left were supposed to more than compensate for the loss of grumpy DelCons. They didn’t. Textor was completely wrong.

    The insulting superannuation tax grab would stop dead if it was applied equally to politicians and the public service, who get a CPI indexed payment. So Brownyn Bishop’s $250K plus perks to do nothing at all would be equivalent to more like $12.5million of dedicated public money. No one much could save this sort of money. Now who’s rich? (Normal savers receive 3 1/2% less 1.5% inflation = 2% and 50x the $250K)

    Another upsetting aspect is Malcolm’s refusal twice to honour our war dead. A laundromat on the hustings was more important or a cabinet meeting on the two big occasions when he should have attended. This may well harken to his mother’s great uncle, George Lansbury who was a fervent anti war pacifist and led the British Labor party 1932-35 in resisting rearmament. After George met with Hitler there was outrage in England and in Lansbury’s words

    [Hitler] appeared free of personal ambition … wasn’t ashamed of his humble start in life … lived in the country rather than the town … was a bachelor who liked children and old people … and was obviously lonely. I wished that I could have gone to Berchtesgaden and stayed with him for a little while. I felt that Christianity in its purest sense might have had a chance with him. (Lansbury’s impressions after meeting Adolf Hitler in April 1937)

    As for campaigning at a Laundromat instead of attending the burial of Australian war dead, Malcolm said
    “the ceremony was for the families of those being repatriated and the leaders’ presence could have detracted from the solemnity of the occasion.” Really?

    We want our real PM back. Someone who cared and who took the job seriously.

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    • #
      TdeF

      However Malcolm had another calculation involving how to vote cards in cahoots with the Greens where they would abandon their traditional voters by having perhaps an open ticket. This leaked, not least here. Kruger made it clear that even preference swapping was imminent but a null ticket would have been effective too. It was possibly why Turnbull did not really bother to campaign. A few power lunches. A ride on a tram.

      Then Di Natalie denied the swap categorically and suddenly it was all over. Labor and the Greens would have swapped places with Labor wiped out. Malcolm was prepared to do it but Di Natalie recognized that he was betraying everyone and killed the idea the last minute or face fury in his own party. Still there is a fundamental problem when a party which gets up to 25% in an election only has one seat in the House of Representatives and most Labor people have their seats only on Green preferences. As it was, Di Natalie came very close to being Deputy PM. Does anyone trust Malcolm?

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      • #
        Dennis

        It will get worse.

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        • #
          OriginalSteve

          It will get worse….our minister for bankers interests has done his “duty” to his pay masters…

          “But when they came for me, there was no one left to speak up for me…”

          http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-25/government-push-for-new-anti-terror-laws/7656494

          “Australia is taking a step towards indefinite detention for some convicted terrorists, with the Federal Government pushing for legislation in every state so terrorists could be kept in jail after their sentences expire if a court says they would reoffend.

          Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has written to state and territory leaders asking them to quickly agree on laws that could keep terrorists in jail if the threat is assessed as serious.”

          It almost soudns reasonable – it starts with “terrorists” then the definition of terrorist is broadened…..

          I doubt there is any reason to have laws like this..unless of course your’e aiming to set up a police state indefinately. Once govts have extreme powers , they dont often reduce them.

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          • #
            Angry

            The REAL TURNBULL………..

            Stop Turnbull | Malcolm Turnbull is a dangerous ideologue of the left-progressive variety

            http://stopturnbull.com/

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            • #
              Peter C

              Stop Turbull needs a lot more exposure.

              Here is a quote from the site:

              “Here’s the rule in the Liberal Party: If you win, you did the right thing. They’re the rules of the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party really only rewards you for an outcome. If Malcolm had challenged and lost, he would’ve done the wrong thing. But he challenged and won, so the Liberal Party regards it as the right thing. The Liberal Party doesn’t give you any great rewards for loyalty. That’s not what it rewards. The Liberal Party rewards success.” _ Peter Coatello

              It seems that Costello regards the Liberal Party as having no values at all. No wonder we did not vote for them.

              I wonder what Senator James Patterson would say.

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              • #
                Ian

                How is the ALA travelling?

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              • #
                delcon2

                Turnbull couldn’t mention the carbon tax — either as a success or a failure.
                Turnbull had achieved something two Labor leaders had bet their careers on and suffered legendary losses over. He managed to “Sneak” the carbon tax and trade legislation through Parliament, which had been sought after by Greens, Banks and Financial houses for years. This extraordinary achievement ought to be something he could sell as his own success. Someone asked Hunt why they had to sneak it through parliament, and he said it was “Benign”. If so, why wasn’t it mentioned at all and if it is “Benign” what was the reason for it?
                [Edited to remove “bad spelling” (we will just leave it in the bin, next time), and poor punctuation, while I was at it. Less anger, and more thought, is better -Fly]

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              • #
                Peter C

                Edited to remove “bad spelling” (we will just leave it in the bin, next time), and poor punctuation, while I was at it

                That is ironic!

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            • #
              philthegeek

              How is the ALA travelling?

              Who are they? Has beens or never was? 🙂

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      • #
        shortie of greenbank

        Greens may travel up to 25% of the vote in a particular seat as a first preference but that would rarely lead to winning it. As a party they just crept over the 10% mark nation-wide for the House of Reps.

        This was, in part due to heavier expenditure on seats in the House of Reps. They made gains in all states except South Australia since they had another fringe party far more worthy of the delcon vote it would seem.

        At the Senate level the Greens lost plenty of support. Only two states and territories reported improvements, in the traditionally low Greens voting QLD where they rose from 6.04% to 6.88% and the NT with a large swing from 8.67% to 10.78%.

        This meant that the overall swing was against the Greens of 0.64% down to 8.59% a far cry of their heady days of near 14% being their step up to the big boys league about the 2007 federal election. Without the ABC lovechild status they would probably only enjoy numbers closer to what Family First and other small parties do in my opinion.

        This all being said, the fact that Turnbull was willing to pawn Australia to do a deal with this group indicates just how badly he is travelling. Donations for the party was so down that he placed $1m of his own funds into the campaign, this seemed to happen after the last election to this one so it might be fair to assume that donations dropped sharply after Abbott was knifed.

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    • #

      “Lansbury’s impressions after meeting Adolf Hitler in April 1937”.

      He wrote this just 12 months before the Anschluss of Austria in 1938. In fact Britain unpreparedness for early war with Germany was the cause of Poland,s death and conflagration of worst human conflict in history. Malcolm in not so in the middle shows strong similarities to the same cowardness displayed some 80 years ago.
      Today I spoke to young a French person who was almost completely unaware of precarious and irreversible situation in his country. He asked who was responsible for this situation in my country? I said, YOU or more appropriately your uncaring, avoiding and uninformed attitude. He was shocked as he said that he did not do anything wrong or bad and wished all people to be good.
      This is attitude is close to pacifism and yet despite being rooted in trying to avoid human conflict is profoundly wrong. It is self-centred, pretending to be morally superior and only lasts until a bigger kid shows up on the block. Then people like him disappear with consequences of their behaviour measured in death of millions. If you weak you get attacked and abused. Chamberlain the face of appeasement lives now among the vast majority of people and their democratically elected leaders.
      Lessons of history mean nothing unless you get blown up.

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      • #
        KinkyKeith

        Good points Dariusz.

        We must push, shove, shout, think and be active in our lives when it comes to what we need to do to keep politics honest and protect the basic rights of all who contribute to the common weal. I like a definition given by Roy a few posts back about what we should expect and demand of “government”.

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        • #
          Analitik

          Exactly – the adage that “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing” needs to be updated to seemingly good men.

          Sometimes, avoiding confrontation is shirking basic responsibility

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    • #
      Athelstan.

      Malcolm Turnbull reminds me very much of our own shape shifter PM, one named Tony Bliar.

      Most of the UK, the nation, has now come to recognize a few things about Mr. Bliar, one he was an accomplished but quite unconscionable liar who hated the land of his birth, took us to war [in Iraq] based on a confection of lies and even bigger lies.
      Bliar, like a street walking professional, has since made a fortune mendaciously selling his wares to persons of dubious morals and worse spieling lies and sharing fantasist anecdotes showboating on the world lecture tour, scurrilously trading on his links and contacts made as PM with certain British interests, not least those in the UK arms industry.
      It should also be noted, Mr. Bliar promised his EU masters that, “Britain would go further and faster in cutting Carbon emissions” [and further and faster on mass immigration too], evidently and on some major policies in so many facets of his flawed character, Tony Bliar was a disaster for Britain and in a similar vein if not in exactitude of policy: Malcolm Turnbull will bring forth disaster to Australia.

      It is not an exaggeration to say, that, Britain, the nation has reached a conclusion and called Mr Bliar out for what he undoubtedly is; a charlatan champagne Socialist and bottom feeding ****.

      Turnbull, like Bliar was a reject out of the same queue, because when God was giving out the ‘good traits’ ie; personality, steadfastness, courage, altruism, morals and faith, philanthropy, compassion and loyalty – they never made it to the front of the line.

      Be aware, be warned.

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  • #
    Analitik

    None of this is very surprising. What I would be interested in is some analysis of the effect of the GetUp! campaign to oust conservative, non-Turnbull aligned Liberal members.

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    • #
      Analitik

      Whoops! Somehow I left out mentioning the most important missed question of all.

      How did the voting – Green / Labor / Coalition / right wing nut job – reflect attitudes on CAGW?

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      • #

        Not much at all. I was polled in the days after the election, and the questions were specifically about whether my vote was climate related. I presume they didn’t get the answer they wanted or the results would have been published. It was probably a very boring poll given the choices were Labor-Lib and on the climate same-same. There was virtually no question a skeptic could answer and reveal their motivation. To the pollsters the Delcon-skeptics would have been invisible. Even I couldn’t say climate was an important issue in my choice…

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  • #
    AndyG55

    ” I think aiming for the centre still works”

    Trouble is, that because of the ABC, what Turnbull thinks is the centre, is more often than not…

    … the FAR-left !!!

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    • #

      I’m talking about the real centre, not the imaginary green left one.
      (I updated that wording to make the point clear, thanks – Jo)

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      • #
        AndyG55

        But Turnbull is still heading for the far-left-centre as espoused by the ABC.

        That is the big problem he faces as far as conservative voters are concerned.

        He doesn’t seem to know or appreciate the difference between the real centre and far-left-green centre.

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        • #
          Analitik

          That He is the big problem he faces as far as conservative voters are concerned.

          fixed

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        • #
          Yonniestone

          Left, right, centre it doesn’t matter to political careerists like Turnbull,

          They’ll turn for the most profitable bureaucracy.

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          • #
            Bulldust

            I don’t think he saw himself as a careerist. He was ready to leave when Abbott dethroned him, but after a few days he changed his mind. I am inclined to think someone changed his mind for him. The ETS is not yet in full swing after all…

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            • #
              PeterPetrum

              It was John Howard who persuaded him to stay. The worst thing Howard has ever done; I wonder if he realises it yet.

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              • #
                delcon2

                Don’t worry,Little Johnny Howard is as left as Turdbull.We have “Gun”control and”Land Clearing”laws, because of a “Directive”from the UN.They say “Nazi-ism”is dead.It has been re-branded as the UN.THE most”Corrupt”organization on earth.

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              • #
                Bulldust

                Woot a gun nutter.

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              • #
                OriginalSteve

                Delcon2 gets it….

                Turnbull is a champers socialist
                Little johhny was in NY when the twin towers came down…auspicious timing….
                They are all in it up to their necks….doubt it not…

                10

              • #
                KinkyKeith

                Bulldust and Steve,

                I have little regard for the later, opportunist John Howard.

                His failure to understand the Pauline issues, his management of those issues and his kowtowing to the French who were testing atomic bombs in the Pacific and so on saw his image badly damaged as far as I was concerned.

                A real leader would govern for All.

                KK

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              • #
                KinkyKeith

                Forgot to mention.

                I liked the gun control.

                I like police to have guns but feel that only those living in isolated situations, like farmers can justify having a gun.

                As a 17 year old I had a bad experience while running at Glenrock. There was a gun club on top of the hill and some turkey was mucking about with a 22.

                Nevertheless, some people need to guns.

                KK

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          • #
            Rereke Whakaaro

            Which is why I always say, “in political circles” …

            Politicians think I mean them as as a group. I, on the other hand, am referring to the way they act. Spend lots of taxpayer money, and end up where they started.

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            • #
              Greg Cavanagh

              Pendulum also works.

              We at work get a new manager every 4 – 6 years. They reinvent the office procedures, they rename the departments, shuffle staff around, reduce secretary numbers while hiring more secretaries.

              We the workers go to work, do a days work, and go home. Nothing changes except the label on our desk.

              I view local government as a microcosm of state government. And local is a complete debacle. Maximum confusion at great expense with minimum accountability. I disrepair to know what goes on at the state level.

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      • #
        Bob Malloy

        If this is inappropriate please delete, but the discussion brought this immediately to mind.
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76CpZgOKHOQ

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        • #
          KinkyKeith

          Are you saying that it doesn’t matter which “side” of politics you examine, they are all the same.

          00

    • #

      Honesty and integrity is what matters. People are tired of the constant lies etc that have become almost the norm in all parties. The silent majority is being overrun by the vocal minority of SJWs, Greens and Leftists in general. The Liberals would have romped it in had they taken to the fore the issues that the silent majority are most concerned about. How Mark Textor is still their strategist and still seems to not see what went wrong is gobsmacking.

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      • #
        toorightmate

        Here, here AND
        Hear, hear.

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      • #
        TdeF

        Textor works for Malcolm, nothing less. The dear Leader wants revenge on the Labor party who rejected him because he was too rich. He will destroy them. Like all Lefties, Malcolm is a great hater. He will still be plotting to get rid of his nemesis Abbott, somehow. Bishop will be working out how to get rid of Malcolm.

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        • #
          TdeF

          Actually, one way to make Malcolm veryunpopular with his own party is to get him to back Rudd. This led to Macolm’s removal last time. Now who would suggest this was a good idea, none other than Julie Bishop, Foreign Minister and soon to be PM?

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        • #
          • #
            Peter C

            Yes that was despicable. Why on earth would Julie Bishop give our taxpayers money to the Clinton Foundation. I would really like to see her explain it before a senate committee.

            I met Julie Bishop at an IPA function about 2 years ago. I walked in early and she was standing there and she said “Hello Peter” with a lovely smile (I suppose that she read my name tag). After that she was my pin up girl for about a year until the Abbott coup.

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  • #
    Sceptical Sam

    I’d bet the larger cost of the Super Bomb was that those with more Super who were Liberal supporters stopped donating and volunteering to help. Graham Young doesn’t mention that effect, but even if the direct loss of votes was small, the passion causes an indirect loss that is larger.

    Absolutely spot on Jo.

    However, I doubt the direct loss of votes was as small as suggested.

    You see there are those of us who still hold true to principles. And the principle here is that those who have taken the decision to invest their hard earned in Self Managed Superannuation have done so on the basis of the law and regulations that pertained at that time. To back-date changes that capture those people in a new set of rules is unprincipled. That is what was rejected.

    In addition, many of those not captured by the unprincipled changes were outraged that the Liberal Party would act in such a way. The Liberal’s denial of “retrospectivity” was seen as a lie. And it was. Those who pushed it were also seen to be liars. Just like Ms Gillard – “no Carbon tax under a government that I lead”.

    Then there’s those who aspire to achieve self-funded independence but aren’t quite there yet. They see the Liberal’s grab for the cash of those who are, as a warning as to what the Liberals are capable of doing to them at any time in the future.

    There is also another sub-set; those who think if the Liberals are prepared to screw their own constituency in this way what are they likely to do to those of us who don’t support them. That especially resonated in light of the Mediscare campaign. There was no way those voters were going to take a chance with Turnbull and his incompetent Treasurer Morrison, and their denials that Medicare wouldn’t be touched. The Liberals, by that one stupid policy, lost all credibility with that sub-set as well.

    But they’ll continue to deny all of this.

    Thank goodness we all had third parties to vote for.

    Go the National Party! Go the Nats.

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    • #
      Graeme No.3

      I agree that the Super scheme was a larger factor than claimed. Anybody whose aim was to retire with something was afraid that the decision was just the first grab.
      And as TdeF says in comment No.1 if this change had applied to public servants, let alone politicians, it would never have seen the light of day.

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    • #
      Asp

      There is another principle involved in opposition to the Super Bomb, other than the problem with retrospectivity, namely, that it was just another tax grab, rather than a spending cut. At a time this country is desperately in need of budgetary restraint, this would get up any good conservative’s nose.

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  • #
    Andrew McRae

    re: Left versus Right, the political compass is more complicated than that. Different issues were mashed together and the meanings of Left and Right have changed so much over the last century that Noam Chomsky reckoned that the terms Left and Right are now meaningless.

    In Australia the Liberal Democrats are in the bottom right quadrant of the compass and are therefore the only morally good political party in the country.

    And on that bombshell, good night.

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    • #
      Retired Now

      “meanings of Left and Right have changed so much”. i would very much agree.

      Back in the 1980s in New Zealand the Labour party there was very much into empowering in the true sense of the word. My sister got involved both at a local and national level and concerns of her local rural community was turned into legislation that did improve local lives – little things mostly but she was also a part of change in the big sense also. Since then the left went balmy focussing on those who could be named victims and going into moan, moan territory and politics came to be a full time job for a limited political class. But neither she nor I went down that miserable road. We stayed in action mode.

      I took the proactive, personal development, “we can do it”, try this (oops, didn’t work), try that (oops, neither did that), try another thing (this one worked, thank goodness) approach. Eventually in 2000 we came to Australia. In the mean time the take action approach that we undertook in 1980s, both personally and withing the party has been demonised as “extreme right wing” by the MSM and other lefties. Neither of us would be acceptable there now.

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      • #
        Peter C

        Robert Muldoon famously said that every New Zealander who migrates to Australia improves the IQ of both countries.

        I prefer to think it our gain (which does not say that Muldoon was wrong)

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  • #
    pat

    on another election:

    have seen this mentioned on forums in recent days, but hadn’t tested it until now…and it’s true. a regional NBC station has just reported it:

    27 Jul: NBC4: Trump left out of Google search for presidential candidates
    By NBC4 Staff
    COLUMBUS (WCMH) – Need to know who’s running for President of the United States? Don’t Google it.
    Searching for ‘presidential candidates’ brings up a handy guide above all of the other search results with pictures of candidates with ***active campaigns. Clicking on a picture brings up searches for the candidates.
    The only problem is that Republican candidate Donald Trump isn’t included. Neither is Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson.
    Results are shown for Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
    As of 8am Wednesday, the results are unchanged.
    Tap here to see for yourself.
    http://nbc4i.com/2016/07/27/trump-left-out-of-google-search-for-presidential-candidates/

    27 Jul: Freerepublic: Trump Left Out Of Google Search For Presidential Candidates
    FROM COMMENTS:
    1)The Sanders campaign comes up, but it is no longer active. Funny, eh?…

    2) I mentioned this in a post several days ago…
    the MSM,facebook,abc,nbc, cbs,twitter, have
    OPENLY started to attack Trump anyway they can-
    ALL the Snewsss will be against Trump 24×7-NO good
    articles,EVEN a decent picture- will be posted
    ( WHAT? TRUMP is EVEN Running for PRESIDENT?)
    hope he can overcome this…
    http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3453466/posts

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  • #
    pat

    MSM barely mentioned the following. btw the ***1,800 delegates are separate from the thousands of anti-Clinton protesters outside the Convention hall:

    26 Jul: ClevelandPlain-Dealer: Julie Washington: DNC 2016: Bernie Sanders supporters stage walkout (photos)
    Angry over allegations of widespread voter fraud and orders to stay quiet during Tuesday night’s proceedings, an estimated ***1,800 hard-core Sanders voters staged a spontaneous walkout Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Many said they felt disrespected and silenced…
    Delegates walked out after being told that if they booed or waved pro-Sanders signs during Tuesday’s speeches, their credentials would be pulled, some said…
    The walk-out started about 7 p.m…
    The walkout’s goal was to gain media attention for their grievances, Geremia said. “Now we have the world media out here that cannot ignore us,” he said.
    http://www.cleveland.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/07/dnc_2016_bernie_sanders_suppor.html

    of course they can ignore you.

    if u watch the video, remember Sanders’ delegates were seated at the back:

    26 Jul: Youtube: 2mins44secs: Hundreds of Empty DNC Seats for Hillary Clinton Coronation Speech 26th July 2016
    posted by Jill Stein for President Booster Club
    FROM COMMENTS:
    (joking) Are you kidding? This is by far Hillary’s biggest crowd for this entire campaign!…
    funny, according to the new articles only about 12 Bernie supporters left and the rest fell in line… thanks for sharing the truth!…
    awesome video! download and mirror this folks, the dnc won’t want this getting out and the media won’t show it!!!…
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGRo1mH2_8w

    26 Jul: ConservativeOutfitters: WATCH: Bernie Sanders Delegates Walk Out At DNC Convention (VIDEO)
    BREAKING: DELEGATES STAGE MASS WALK OUT AT THE 2016 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION
    TWEET: Laurie Penny:
    Delegates say they were told if they didn’t put Bernie signs away after the vote they would be arrested. They have walked out…
    https://www.conservativeoutfitters.com/blogs/news/watch-bernie-sanders-delegates-walk-out-at-dnc-convention-video

    from Freerepublic forum comments:
    1)Huffpo says “hundreds”, Time says “”over 100”, and MSN says “dozens”…
    2)The Faux News website doesn’t even have a mention of the walkout. …not surprised.

    i checked Fox New homepage after reading the second comment above and, sure enough, there was not a single article on the walkout. truly incredible how Fox’s Roger Ailes was ousted during the RNC and Rupert took control of the station.

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    pat

    basically, this is it for hard-hitting DNC MSM headlines:

    NYT: Why She Screamed: Meryl Streep’s Complex Bond With Hillary Clinton
    WaPo: A historic night for Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party
    WaPo: As Clinton makes history, some already take it for granted
    WSJ: Hillary Clinton Officially Becomes First Woman to Win Major Party Nomination
    ABC America: Stars Come Out for Hillary Clinton at DNC in Philadelphia
    Chicago Sun-Times: Day 2 Dem convention: Meryl Streep, Lena Dunham, America Ferrera
    Daily Mail: Meryl Streep rehearses DNC speech as celebrities join campaign against Donald Trump
    Roll Call: Millennial Squad Star Power at DNC
    UK Telegraph: The story behind the American Flag dress Meryl Streep wore in support of Hillary Clinton at the DNC

    after waiting til most Americans had gone to bed, NBC reported:

    26 Jul 10:27 pm ET: NBC: How Sanders Delegates Organized a Walkout Under Everyone’s Nose
    by Alex Seitz-Wald
    There are at least 15,000 members of the media in Philadelphia right now, along with virtually every progressive movement leader and Democratic elected official in the country.
    Yet no one seemed aware that hundreds of Bernie Sanders delegates planned to walk out of the Democratic National Convention in unison Tuesday, at the precise moment party unity was supposed to reach a crescendo…
    The walkout, which came as Sanders personally moved to nominate Hillary Clinton by acclimation, left hundreds of seats on the convention floor empty…
    The several hundred delegates stormed out of the convention hall before quietly sitting down and occupying the press tent, aware of how to maximize their leverage…
    Eventually, they organized themselves in several secret Slack channels and Facebook groups, the largest of which had over 1,250 delegate members…
    They said the primary was rigged, pointing to the internal DNC emails leaked to Wikileaks, apparently by hackers tied to the Russian government…
    They will likely never again have the ***leverage they did Tuesday, thanks to those 15,000 members of the media…
    http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/how-sanders-delegates-organized-walkout-under-everyone-s-nose-n617521

    ***leverage, what leverage?

    strong Hillary!

    27 Jul: NBC: DNC Email Hack: Why Vladimir Putin Hates Hillary Clinton
    by Mark Schone
    If Russia is indeed behind the damaging leak of Democratic Party emails on the eve of its national convention, it’s not just because President Vladimir Putin likes Republican nominee Donald Trump and his pro-Russian views, former U.S. officials and experts tell NBC News.
    It’s because the former KGB operative hates Trump’s Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, with such a passion that he wants to embarrass her personally and undermine — if not derail — her presidential campaign, they say…
    He carries a grudge against a woman who has publicly compared him to Hitler and expressed doubts that he has a soul…
    “She was always the tougher voice within our administration on Russia. “Even my colleagues at the White House would agree with that,” said (Michael) McFaul, the top National Security Council official on Russia from 2009 until he left for Moscow as ambassador. He described numerous occasions where top Russian officials, and a “pissed off” Putin himself, would rail against Clinton both publicly and privately…
    http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/why-putin-hates-hillary-clinton-n617236

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    pat

    am going offline, but had all this stuff collected, which seems relevant to jo’s new thread, so will post the last of it, even tho comment #8 is now also in moderation.

    even left-leaning Snopes knows the Dems wanted to take the heat off the content of the Wikileaks’ DNC emails:

    26 Jul: Snopes: What We Know So Far About WikiLeaks’ #DNCLeaks
    The release immediately made massive waves first on social media (where users widely accused Facebook and Twitter of censoring the leaks), before largely reaching the national media on 24 July 2016…
    Who is responsible for the leaks? Are Russian spies trying to install Donald Trump as President?
    Other Democrats took a different stance on the #DNCLeaks scandal. As what appeared to be an actual conspiracy was unearthed in real time, many substituted a second conspiracy in its place holding that WikiLeaks and/or hackers were working with the Russian government in order to essentially install Donald Trump as President. Fair.org noted that the theory lay largely unproved since ***first floated by a DNC contractor in June 2016…
    Shortly after the Russia conspiracy theory was injected into the news cycle by the DNC and its contractor ***Crowdstrike Bloomberg reported DNC officials believed drawing such a connection might outweigh voter concern over the content of then-forthcoming leaks…
    Investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald, known primarily in part for his collaboration with former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden to leak damaging information about surveillance, reiterated that the claim appeared to come solely from ***Democratic officials (i.e., individuals interested in discrediting the source of the leaks to bury their content)…
    http://www.snopes.com/2016/07/25/what-we-know-so-far-about-wikileaks-dncleaks/

    25 Jul: Breitbart: John Hayward: Flashback: When the Clintons Loved Russia Enough to Sell Them Our Uranium
    The Democrats’ newfound paranoia about Russian influence on American affairs was certainly nowhere to be found when Hillary Clinton was cheerfully selling them a huge chunk of America’s uranium stockpile, right after a Russian bank paid Bill Clinton $500,000 for a speech.
    The Uranium One story is among the incidents detailed in Peter Schweizer’s Clinton Cash. A quick recap: Uranium One was originally a Canadian company, bought out by Russia’s state atomic energy agency, Rosatom.
    Uranium One’s big shots were very, very generous donors to the Clinton Foundation, the “charity” through which so much foreign money flowed to Bill and Hillary Clinton…
    http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2016/07/25/flashback-clintons-loved-russia-enough-sell-uranium/

    finally – good Twitter coverage on MSM at the Convention including:
    Mike Cernovich 3:43 PM – 26 Jul 2016: Why is media dying? Been to RNC and DNC. 1000s of “journalists” all telling the SAME story. There’s no reason to read 99%. It’s all same.
    https://twitter.com/Cernovich?lang=en

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    If you disapprove of Turnbull it’s presumed to be on the basis of what happened last year. Let me repeat comments I just made somewhere else.

    While much of the talk has been of Abbott, loyalty, coups, delcons, lack of blue collar appeal etc, some have chosen to overlook the screamingly obvious.

    Since the Turnbull Spring the PM has announced, enunciated, envisioned, imagined, empowered, lectured, lectured some more…and done next to nothing. Moreover, that “next-to-nothing” has consisted of bungles and reversals…so please, no cutesie-pie stuff about how a supine Turnbull is actually a good thing. The guy can stuff up in his sleep.

    The moist-leg interview between Turnbull and Sales which kicked off the Turnbull Spring might have been embarrassing to conservatives (still cringing here!), but the hope was there that sanity on debt and spending was at last on the way. (We kind of knew free speech was not coming back from the knackery).

    Sadly, it’s all been for that “next-to-nothing” to which nothing at all would have been preferable.

    No talk of Abbott-love or delcons here, please. The New Class Libs want to keep partying like it’s 2015 and overlook everything since. The biggest problem is Turnbull’s disastrous lack of performance since gaining power.

    The danger now is that he will do little except make decisions to get back to the intoxicating days of the soft Sales interviews. (Take your hand off that migrant tap, Malcolm!) And I guess he could use the time to make GE or a bank happy, or tip Aussie dollars into some global institution with a name straight out of a Superman comic. You know, the World Whatever for Whatever.

    And did I mention debt?

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      Ted O'Brien.

      I haven’t given up on Turnbull yet, in fact I am still hoping that this might turn out to be the best government Australia has had in 50 years. The election isn’t even over yet, and already we have some promising headlines, e.g. The ABC called to account and that more than once.

      Firstly, there were two sets of *cons, the Defiant Conservatives (Defcons), and the Delusional Conservatives. The Delcons were a culpably irresponsible group who never understood what was at stake, and almost delivered Australia into the hands of a Marxist government primed for the destruction of our economic system. No more private management of industry, no more private ownership of land.

      And don’t forget that the Delcons were a force sufficient to make things difficult for Malcolm Turnbull in the election campaign.

      To date the Delcons have achieved their ideal scenario. But no kudos are due, the gamble was too dangerous. Now to see what we get in the senate.

      One thing we are seeing now is a much more sane commentary from the ALP. But don’t expect that leopard to ever change its spots. Never forget that they are Marxists at heart. Daniel Andrews is their bellwether.

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    handjive

    ABC Lateline, 27 July 2016:

    Interview: Josh Frydenberg, Environment and Energy Minister

    “EMMA ALBERICI: Let’s start off with a clarification of exactly where you stand on the science of [Doomsday Global Warming]

    JOSH FRYDENBERG: I accept the science of [Doomsday Global Warming] and recognise that Australia needs to do its part as the globe tackles [Doomsday Global Warming] and emissions reduction.

    Australia has very ambitious targets of a 26 to 28 per cent reduction by 2030 on our 2005 levels.

    On a per capita basis, that’s more than 50 per cent and that is a strong target, among the highest in the world, and I’m very pleased to be part of a government that has subscribed to those targets.

    EMMA ALBERICI: When you say you accept the science, you accept all sides of the science, the fact that it’s man-made?

    JOSH FRYDENBERG: Look, absolutely accept that man is contributing to [Doomsday Global Warming] and we are part of more than 190 nations that agreed in Paris to these targets and that’s a response to the challenges that is posed to the world by [Doomsday Global Warming].
    . . .
    Good luck with that.

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      handjive

      2005 levels by 2030?

      Bob Geldof: The world could end by 2030

      “Bob Geldof has claimed that the Earth as we know it could end by 2030 thanks to the ravages of [Doomsday Global Warming].”

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        sophocles

        Global Warming? Nah.
        World War III? Maybe
        Global Cooling? Hmm. Now that’s going to be fun to watch. Oh the wailing, the gnashing of teeth, to behold. Yeah!
        It will be like the 1970’s: we’re going into a new ice age! It’s all mankind’s fault for burning fossil fuels!

        (Yawn).

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        tom0mason

        Is he still yelling “Give us the money NOW!” just like the old days?

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          Greg Cavanagh

          Na, article linked was 2013. I remember reading the same thing years ago so followed the link to find out;- Same article.

          What would be more interesting is if Geldof still believes the world will end by 2030.

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        handjive

        Australia Appoints “Mr Coal” As New Climate Change Minister
        By Graham Readfearn • Monday, July 18, 2016 – 22:02, Desmogblog

        > Has video of Bolt Report interview 27 September, 2015, with Frydenberg. Quote:

        “In an interview with Bolt, who is a climate science denialist, Frydenberg said: “I certainly believe in the moral case that (former Prime Minister) Tony Abbott and others have put, that our coal, our gas, our energy supplies do lift people out of energy poverty and that will be an important theme of my term in this role.”

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      AndyG55

      Josh Frydenberg just lost ALL his credibility. !!

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      TdeF

      He is doing what he is told by his boss, Malcolm. This is the current policy of Malcolm’s Liberals. So is a Carbon Tax, an ETS run by his old firm Goldmann Sachs. The fact that the world temperature only changed once in 70 years seems to not matter. This is political science, not real science. It is always about the money.

      That’s why I hate a very rich private banker as PM. He has no intention of running the country. His policy is, whatever. As long as the money flows. Hillary Clinton appears even worse, $3Bn a year into her private account controlled by her private mail server even as Secretary of State simply because her husband was president in 1993? It’s always about the money, not the people. Could we please have our real PM back?

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        TdeF

        Worse than Turnbull is deputy leader Julie Bishop, the Bill Shorten of the Liberal party. She was deputy to Nelson, Turnbull, Abbott, Turnbull and brought them all down by undermining, leaking, scheming. Frydenberg would change in an instant to get rid of the carbon taxes but it is his job as Environment minister. Politicians know how much money and power is involved and future jobs at the UN like Clarke, Rudd and perhaps Bishop. Global Warming is Green government policy. Truth is a low priority and perhaps irrelevant.

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          Ted O'Brien.

          First for the chop!

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            AndyG55

            What seat is aFraidenberg in?

            Labor next election, conservative will dump him.

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              Analitik

              Not likely. Our area is very blue ribbon – I’m on the border for Higgins and Kooyong so O’Dwyer & Frydenberg.

              Frydenberg won outright on 1st preferences, as did O’Dwyer (despite a massive effort by The Greens)

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      handjive

      Malcolm Turnbull’s new Environment and Energy Minister, Josh Frydenberg, has welcomed a declining role for coal in Australia’s future energy mix, talked up reliable green energy, and locked in the current 23.5 per cent renewable energy target by 2020, in a marked change from the avowedly pro-coal rhetoric of the Abbott government.

      http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/turnbull-governments-green-shift-to-back-renewables-20160727-gqf6kv.html

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        el gordo

        Putting environment and energy together appears to be a master stroke by our great leader (sarc), which he imagines will nullify sceptic angst. After all the science is settled, so let us get on with mitigation.

        Its all going to go very badly for this lot, global cooling waits for no man.

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          TdeF

          I remember the great Max Gilles skits on fatman opportunist Queensland’s Russ Hinze. “Some say being Minister for Police and Minister for Racing is a conflict of interest. I see it is a congruence of interests.’

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        scaper...

        An article by Mark Kenny? Wow!

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      Analitik

      So much for the 5 page letter I sent to his office last weekend – no wonder there’s been no response 😡

      No reply from my local member for the copy sent to her, either 😡

      I sent Jo a copy but I don’t know if she checks the email address I sent it to. Maybe I should post it up here to show how just about all of the statements in that interview go against the content of my letter.

      I’m getting morose and depressed like TonyfromOz now 🙁

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        I’m getting morose and depressed like TonyfromOz now.

        Yep, no response to my email to Frydenberg either, not that I ever expected it.

        I watched him as Emma Alberici interviewed him last night (link here) and it’s just the same old same old.

        I can understand journalists, and the talking heads fronting up programs like this not having a clue, but surely Ministers must get advice from people who know what the situation is, but they just keep saying the things they think the people want to hear. Just keep making the same bullet points.

        I can’t believe they keep falling for the $14,000/MWH cost for electricity. No one ever pays that. As I have explained, it’s the instantaneous momentary spike lasting for a second or two that reflects the actual cost of the plant’s power for the second it comes on line at the grid, falling back immediately to the new level.

        Incidentally, not sure if some watchers are aware but the Regulator AEMO has changed their site. (at this link)

        After you arrive at the link, scroll down a little to the first graph under the map of Australia (the one on the left of screen) showing the current price for electricity in each State and the current demand in MWH. You can click on each State and if you hover your mouse over the graph, you can see the two details for any time. Note the cost for SA compared to the other (three major) States, well more than double.

        Tony.

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          Analitik

          Cory Bernardi was the only one who responded to me (well a staffer assured me he read it) since I sent him a copy as well. As a last tilt, I sent him another message pointing out that Josh Frydenberg is continuing to pander to the left/green yapping minority and further alienating The Liberal Party from conservatives (and quite possibly the more clear thinking centrists).

          Yes, the price is only for the power delivered for that period and only for the power delivered by the generator that has bid at that rate – all the lower bidding generators that are also generating at the time get paid the rate that their bids were set to for the power that they deliver so the actual cost is the weighted average.

          This is the clearest explanation I have found of how it works plus it shows the effect of ‘zero cost’ renewables crashing their way into the market. Of course I totally disagree with the conclusions of the author but the merit order
          http://www.energypost.eu/capacity-payments-expensive-solution-non-existing-problem/

          Still, that the spikes drive up the average cost is undeniable but the effect of the PPAs and RECs for the ‘free energy’ generated by renewables to the end consumer is totally hidden as well and never, ever mentioned by the MSM. No wonder the average Bruce/Wendy is confused and sees it all as a beatup by the nasty fossil fuel conglomerate.

          RenewEconomy are crowing about the “insight” he showed at the recent Clean Energy Summit
          Frydenberg says renewables not to blame for South Australia energy “crisis”

          We are FAARKed

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            Analitik

            Arggh – a sentence got chopped (damned touchpad)

            It should have read

            but the merit order and marginal cost outcome are very clearly demonstrated.

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          Cookster

          Thank you Tony. I posted a reply on this subject on Jo’s earlier article concerning a petition to remove Air conditioners from US state property. Josh Frydenberg says the power price spikes in SA are “complex” and note the following quote from him in the linked article:

          ” the improvements in battery storage give us great confidence in the future, that renewables, which should be taken up in greater and greater amounts, can provide a reliable steady source of energy supply”

          http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/turnbull-governments-green-shift-to-back-renewables-20160727-gqf6kv.html

          For some time now the warmists have been promising that battery storage can overcome the inherent unreliability of wind and solar energy. I am now wondering when governments will start subsidizing these battery storage devices and how much that will increase our energy costs? Your thoughts?

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            TdeF

            So unsustainable, random and thus totally inconvenient energy needs storage? Who would have thought that?
            Now they are saying you just need a huge battery. Simple. Problem solved. Oops, forgot the battery!
            Not a scientist or engineer involved in this government.

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    handjive

    8 days until the Last Olympics!

    Sep 30, 2009: Olympics-2016 Games could be the last, says Tokyo governor

    Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara warned on Wednesday the 2016 Olympics could be the last Games, with global warming an immediate threat to mankind.

    “Scientists have said we have passed the point of no return,” said Ishihara.
    . . .
    It might be that last for the Russians!
    And not because of Global Warming!
    /snicker

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      toorightmate

      Isn’t he agile, nimble and innovative?
      AND
      A complete nincompoop.

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      Analitik

      And Tony Abbot was criticized as being difficult to contact because of CoS Peta Credlin?

      Malcolm Bligh Turnbull has created his own court of mandarins to ensure that he doesn’t get bothered by the opinions of ministers, backbenchers or the public. Appointing a former The Greens candidate, Lin Hatfield Dodds, to head his social policies sub-empire tells me 18C is going to be expanded and maybe duplicated for gender, sexual preference and other minorities (barring conservatives).

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    Dave N

    Sorry for the O/T comment, however I’ve been alerted to this:

    http://www.news.com.au/national/western-australia/miranda-devine-perth-electrical-engineers-discovery-will-change-climate-change-debate/news-story/d1fe0f22a737e8d67e75a5014d0519c6

    Just a little surprising that Australian MSM (albeit a Fox company) would run the story

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    Retired Now

    I’ve been doing a bit of reading about the apparent change in culture world wide. Here we talk about delcons but over in the US they have the alt right. What I hadn’t realised was that the alt-right is about being right wing but with a totally different emphasis and often in stark contrast to the conservatives whom they see as out of date, irrelevant and dying. The alt right isn’t interested in civil discourse which they see as totally losing the argument to lefties who only argue emotionally continuously changing their stance as logic destroys them and who insist that only they have the high moral ground. By being polite and listening and trying to argue and discuss with the left the right never get heard. The alt-right are now being rude, obnoxious and demanding to be heard – as Milo Yianoppolous and his supporters and hangers on are showing. Milo is robust, some of his supporters are disgusting. But they are changing the grounds for discussion. What I find interesting is that the alt-right are tarred with being anti-semitic in online descriptors by some early definition givers. Perhaps some were but I’ve not seen it in any of my reading. But I’ve seen huge evidence of anti-semitic stuff on the left and noone bats an eye.

    From my reading the memes of the Trump campaign are really working for many and may well redefine what it means to support the right around the world.

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      delcon2

      Trumps speech in New York says it all.
      “Come November, the American people will have a chance to issue a verdict on the politicians that have sacrificed their security, betrayed their prosperity, and sold out their country. They will have a chance to vote for a new agenda with big dreams, bold ideas and enormous possibilities for the American people. Hillary Clinton’s message is old and tired. Her message is that things can’t change. My message is that things have to change – and this is our one chance, and maybe our only chance, to do that change. If we don’t do it now, folks, I don’t know that we’ll ever, ever have another chance. We have to have change, but real change—not Obama change.”
      Trump for President, Hillary for Prison – 2016
      And for those who haven’t seen it yet,Breibart.com have the”Clinton Cash video.A must see.

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      Rereke Whakaaro

      “The alt right isn’t interested in civil discourse which they see as totally losing the argument to …”, the communists. “The alt-right are now being rude, obnoxious and demanding to be heard …”, “Milo is robust, some of his supporters are disgusting” … “the alt-right are tarred with being anti-semitic … by some early definition givers”.

      Deja vue, to anybody who has studied the political rise of Adolf Hitler.

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    pat

    can’t see any other coverage of the following, only ABC.

    AUDIO: 4mins46secs: 28 Jul: ABC: World’s biggest polluters accused of breaching human rights through climate change impact
    Nearly 50 international companies have been ordered to respond to a petition which accuses them of breaching human rights through the impacts of climate change by pumping the lion’s share of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.
    The complaint has been lodged by the Commission of Human Rights of the Philippines and requires corporations like Exxon Mobil and BHP Billiton to respond within 45 days…
    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-28/world's-biggest-polluters-accused-of-breaching/7667484

    btw this is supposed to suggest a u-turn by Duterte!

    25 Jul: ClimateChangeNews: Ed King: Duterte: addressing climate change is ‘top priority’ for Philippines
    Addressing the nation, Duterte softens position on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but insists ***industrialization comes first
    Last week he said he would not honour the Paris climate agreement. Today Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte said global warming was a “top priority”.
    The comments came during the annual state of the nation address to a joint session of Congress…
    “Addressing climate change shall be a top priority but upon a fair and equitable equation. It should not stymie our industrialization,” he said.
    “In the area of environment, the military is directed to intensify its support role against illegal logging, illegal mining,” he said in another part of the address.
    “I have to protect the country… The interests of the country must come first.”…
    http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/07/25/duterte-addressing-climate-change-is-top-priority-for-philippines/

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    pat

    AUDIO: 27 Jul: ABC Big Ideas: Human rights and its importance for business
    Michael Posner says the dividends may not be immediately apparent but over a longer time frame companies that do address human rights concerns, wherever they are operating, will survive and prosper.
    Highlights of Making Progress: Human Rights as an Essential Element of Sustainable Business, the 2016 Human Rights lecture presented by the Australian Centre for Human Rights and the Faculty of Law, University of NSW. 25 May 2016
    http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/bigideas/human-rights-and-business/7645046

    ROUGH SUMMARY: neither the summary, nor ABC Paul Barclay’s intro, mention climate change or the environment. yet, it’s almost always “environment and human rights” when Posner speaks.
    he’s anti-Nationalist, anti-Brexit, anti-anti-globalists. then goes on to describe the financial chaos brought about by globalism, yet spends the rest of the time arguing for more globalism.
    ***Posner says he is interested in the $20trillion held in PUBLIC PENSION FUNDS – says we’re talking about real money here. and it’s only when answering the final question from the audience that he spells it out – Sustainable Development Goals, COP21 and Human Rights need to be integrated. the advocacy community and the gobal community has been smart enough to make those connections.

    UNSW has no problem with mentioning “climate change”:

    UNSW Law: AHRCentre Annual Public Lecture 2016 with Michael Posner – 25 May 2016
    The international focus on the role of companies in protecting and promoting human rights remains critical to the resolution of global challenges, including poverty, trafficking, gender inequality and ***climate change…
    Professor Michael Posner will discuss the impetus for human rights demands on corporations, the progress of the business and human rights movement and the potential challenges in ensuring that human rights are key to the development and implementation of sustainable business practices.
    Michael Posner is a Professor of Business and Society and Co-Director of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, the first-ever centre on business and human rights at an American business school. Prior to joining NYU Stern, he served in the Obama Administration as Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the State Department (2009-2013)…
    The AHRCentre Annual Public Lecture is sponsored by Maurice Blackburn Lawyers…
    http://www.law.unsw.edu.au/events/ahrcentre-annual-public-lecture-2016-michael-posner

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      AndyG55

      penultimate paragraph from WUWT.

      “My only reservation about advocating Kevin Rudd is the remote possibility he might start World War Three. But the man’s ability to alienate his strongest supporters, to cause disunity where formerly there was harmony, to offend, to divide, to break the unbreakable, is a gift to the world. The damage such a person would do to the UN in my opinion would likely be irreparable.”

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      AndyG55

      Brilliant comment on WUWT from Greg.

      “Turnbull is the only man in Australia that can make Rudd look humble by comparison.”

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      Analitik

      Wow, one of my comments about our former great leader has been removed from WUWT!

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  • #
    A C, of Adelaide

    I believe it is a mistake to link delcons/defcons solely with Turnbull. It sort of misses the point. Consider that :
    Abbott bottled it on 18C.
    Abbott bottled it on the ABC.
    Abbott bottled it on Gillian Triggs
    Abbott bottled it on budget savings
    Abbott supported Helen Clarke, a Marxist, for UN General Secretary.
    Abbott stopped the boats but increased immigration by other channels
    Abbott got rid of the Carbon Tax but increased funding to RET schemes.

    The delcons/defcons were already circling Abbott – Turnbull was just the final slap in the face.

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      A C, of Adelaide

      I forgot his daft proposal for a refurendum on Aboriginal sovreignty. Stick that in there as well.

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      Peter C

      Correct about the failures of Tony Abbott.

      However your view that the DefCons were circling Abbott like sharks is quite novel. Did you make that up?

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        TdeF

        This is just trolling from Adelaide. Surprising the power is on, but maybe the laptop has a Lithium battery.

        Abbott could not get a mouse through the senate thanks to people like this.

        Labor and the Greens fought the removal of the Carbon tax with everything they had. The mining tax too and Palmer was a mining processor. Without PUP he would never have succeeded and Palmer’s personal $6Million carbon tax bill.

        There was nothing he could do about 18C. There was nothing he could do about Triggs. All this was setup by Gillard and enshrined in thousands of pieces of legislation. A PM cannot just ignore the law.

        The world lost 1200 people in the East Timor sea while our sailors dragged corpses from the water in the hundreds. It remains the greatest peacetime tragedy in our history, a bigger loss of life than all others put together. I am thrilled this terrible and disgraceful chapter in our history has ended. Those people who think it was a good idea need to look at themselves.

        We are still one of the most heavily migrated countries in the world but at least we now decide who comes and under what conditions.

        Abbott saw the problems with uncontrolled invasion and was ridiculed for lecturing Europe. He was right and only now are they changing.

        Abbott signed three free trade pacts in his short term.

        Now we have an extreme pacifist who will not even honour our dead soldiers and is promising to build no submarines until 2030 and to pay for Gillard’s largess by raising taxes which he can guarantee will sail through the Senate.

        We want Abbott back. Someone who cared. The Prince cares for himself and his friends at the ABC. Now we have an overnight Royal Commission on one video of an ice addict restrained necessarily and legally with a spitting bag, a good idea if you do not want aids.
        Just try dealing with violent ice addicts with superhuman strength and with no pain and a desire to harm everyone including themselves.
        Banning the live cattle trade with a phone call is next.

        Bring Abbott back. He was a real man of the people who stood up to Putin and Obama. Turnbull would invite them to dinner, like Gillard.

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      • #
        Yonniestone

        circling Abbott like sharks

        I bet they were racist white pointers!

        30

      • #
        Dennis

        Did you not hear about the six (6) years of undermining Tony Abbott that took place? Turnbull, Bishop, Hunt and other rebel Liberals attacking his character and his leadership all that time until 2015 when he was replaced by Turnbull. Political spin, false claims, whatever it took which also damaged the Coalition and later government. And the rebels background briefed the media relentlessly but would not permit their names to be used as the source of spin.

        A PM is not all powerful and must be guided by the Cabinet, meaning he has only one vote on issues discussed. And therefore items voters might have wanted proceeded with were abandoned. The plan to close the Climate Change Commission for example, but they did approve no longer funding the Office of Climate Change (Flannery). As for Section 18C of the Anti-Discrimination Act that legislation was opposed by all of the churches, human rights groups and civil libertarians and a couple of state premiers. And of course the Labor Party and Others in the Senate who made it clear the legislation amending S18C would not be passed. At that time terrorism issues were high on the agenda and legislation relating to this serious threat, and that legislation was passed. Governments do not pursue matters that prove to be an exercise in futility.

        As for budget savings, are you referring to the over 30 billion of proposed budget savings in the 2014/15 Hockey Budget? The savings the Senate blocked?

        Are you unaware of the last Labor Budget 2013/14 and the unfunded, no provision made to pay budgeted items such as Gonski education grants and the under-estimated budget deficit resulting?

        I wish people would get the facts instead of criticising based on few or no facts.

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    • #
      AndyG55

      Hey AC, are you pedalling hard to power that laptop ?

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      • #
        Robert Rosicka

        Abbott didn’t get the nickname of the mad monk for nothing , Turncoat Turnball is just bouncing from one stupid idea to another .
        At least Hanson has some decent policy’s but alas some what arratic as well if only she could engage that tiny brain before she spoke we would have a winner .

        10

        • #
          Graeme No.3

          Say what you like about the redhead but she is the only one in Parliament with a sensible energy policy.

          10

    • #
      el gordo

      ‘Abbott stopped the boats but increased immigration by other channels.’

      We are a mongrel country, immigrants are important for our well being. Which is why I’m happy to see an influx of heathens at the expense of god botherers.

      23

      • #
        Dennis

        Long before the Abbott Government foreigners have travelled to Australia, mostly by air, travelling with a passport and visa, and quite a few overstay their visa period. To claim that they are “immigration by other channels” as if they were approved new settlers is ridiculous, a poorly informed claim.

        During the period soon after 1996 when the Howard Government took over from Labor the manufacturing business I managed was visited by Immigration Officers who wanted to view employee records, they were looking for people who were in Australia illegally, overstaying a visa. The Officers explained that for 13-years they had not been allowed to conduct field investigations.

        Yes, the Abbott Government Operation Sovereign Borders effectively stopped people smuggling, the boats, but earlier the Howard Government Pacific Solution did that until Rudd Labor abandoned Pacific Solution and deployed RAN ships to ferry illegal immigrants from boats to Christmas Island. Over 50,000 of them arrived. And no doubt people who arrived legally by air with passport and visa in hand too, and some or many overstayed the period they were allowed.

        20

    • #
      A C, of Adelaide

      Goodness me!
      There was a lot of heart burn in my circle over Abbott’s weakness in the face of 18C and the ABC in particular – but we were happy enough to cut him a little slack over the senate.
      But the idea that he is a “Conservative” doesnt cut the mustard. He, like his mate Greg Sheriden, are small “l” liberals to the core. More DLP than Liberal. Abbott is Turnbull lite.
      Remember too that it was Abbott who did a job on Pauline Hanson.

      23

      • #
        el gordo

        The Liberal establishment see Pauline as a real and present danger, a political fringe dweller capable of overcoming diversity and upsetting the status quo.

        Abbott was determined to eliminate this free radical, but the fish and chips girl eventually bounced back.

        I agree the monk is DLP, but it has nothing to do with Talcum who is green lite.

        10

        • #
          Dennis

          Don’t forget that no politician found One Nation people guilty, that was government agencies from Electoral Commission, to Police, to Director of Public Prosecutions and a Court of Law where they were sentenced. A later Court of Appeal released them from gaol but referred to their legal advisors and suggested they were let down by them. But the matter relating to electoral laws was not dismissed.

          To blame the whistleblower and the politicians that supported the whistleblower or informant is ridiculous, it is like blaming any informant who goes to the police resulting subsequently in a conviction. The politicians provided funding for the informant to obtain legal advice.

          00

      • #
        Dennis

        You should read his excellent book Battlelines and discover that Tony Abbott is a conservative Liberal in the Menzies tradition.

        00

  • #
    Analitik

    Since the OT is on

    News from yesterday but let’s celebrate the ruling as a win for (un?)common sense, anyway.

    Class action firm IMF Bentham to take $9.5m hit from failed ANZ case

    If you can’t afford it – you still can’t afford it on a credit card. Suck it up ya sponges – and read the T&Cs next time.

    30

  • #
    MudCrab

    It is distressing the amount of people within politics who keep talking about ‘chasing the X vote’ like it is some magical thing that can be gained just by saying the correct incartation and are completely oblivious to the fact they might be upsetting their core.

    The base commandment for winning votes is that NOTHING should be done to attract new voters that might upset your existing ones. They already vote for you. Keep them happy. Try and make everyone happy and you end up with no one being happy, so work out who is going to give you the best long term support and pander to them.

    It would be like the AFL trying expand it’s appeal by making the ball round. Soccer players have a round ball, so AFL with a round ball must appeal to them.

    Sorry, but if the AFL did that they would attract zero soccer fans, who after all can still watch soccer anyway, and have thousands of existing AFL fans walk away complaining about stupid new rule changes.

    Honestly, why is this concept even so hard to understand? Where people like Textor dropped on their head as an adult?

    80

  • #
    pat

    the innovative, ageist Ms Guthrie, who sees diversity in appearance, not in diversity of opinion.
    btw has anyone ever seen the data on this so-called Omni Poll that rated ABC so highly?

    28 Jul: news.com.au: Holly Byrnes: ABC boss Michelle Guthrie promises to give Aunty a multicultural facelift
    The former Google and Foxtel executive, speaking to the Creative Country innovation conference in Melbourne, said viewers would “over time, see or hear from many more like Costa (Georgiades of Gardening Australia fame), Jeremy Fernandez (ABC News), Charlie King (an indigenous TV presenter and football commentator), Patricia Karvelas (ABC Radio and Sky News presenter), Kumi Taguchi (ABCNews 24), Del Irani Del Irani (finance presenter on ABC Breakfast), and Christina Anu (ABC 702 radio presenter)…
    ???ABC boss Michelle Guthrie says popular presenters like Fran Kelly (left) will remain, while viewers will see more of new faces like Patricia Karvelas…
    ***“I have heard it said in the past that the ABC has captured the hearts and minds of every preschool and aged care facility. It is a joke about the Corporation’s strong popularity within these demographics. And while we can all laugh, it belies a lack of imagination and commitment — because an ABC that is paid for by all Australians should strive harder to serve each and every Australian,” Ms Guthrie said…
    READ THE FULL SPEECH BELOW:…
    The latest independent polling conducted by ***OmniPoll shows that 86% of the community believes that the ABC provides a valuable service to the community. Half those polled — actually 49% to be precise — rate the
    ABC overall as “very valuable”, the highest figure since 2009…
    ***This is a world where social media players live in perpetual fear of becoming like Mambo T-shirts, shunned because their parents use them. My daughters were horrified I had posted something to snapchat on election
    night. I’m apparently banned from further participation…
    Google, my former workplace, is famous for its use of data to drive decision making…
    Data is also important in helping to shape internal culture. One of my first priorities at the ABC has been to undertake deep data dives into the organisation, to develop a better understanding of what we currently do and
    what drives our decisions…
    As the Prime Minister said in the not too distant past, “the ABC is more important than ever”. He will get no argument from me on that point.
    The challenge is to remain nimble and innovative, acknowledging the constraints but driven by a desire to meet the expectations of our audiences and the broader community…
    http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/abc-boss-michelle-guthrie-promises-to-give-aunty-a-multicultural-facelift/news-story/329cd04c7e8fb2bc91a5573ff0875019

    20

  • #
    pat

    27 Jul: ABC: Large-scale hybrid wind-solar farm to be built on NSW southern tablelands
    ABC Central West By Gavin Coote
    A plant consisting of more than 40,000 solar panels is set to be built at the existing Gullen Range Wind Farm near Crookwell on the state southern tablelands.
    The $26 million received approval from the Southern Joint Regional Planning Panel last month and has now also secured $9.9 million from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)…
    “It’s really a pioneering effort and will be really a good example for the learnings of bringing solar and wind together on a large scale for Australia,” Mr Titchen said.
    “That’s why we’ve got the support of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency…
    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-27/australias-first-large-scale-hybrid-wind-solar-farm-to-be-built/7663910

    27 Jul: Bloomberg: Brian Parkin: Australia Sees Green-Power Savings in Adding Solar to Wind Farms
    Gullen Range Wind Farm MW project is jointly owned by Beijing Jingneng Clean Energy Co. and the Australian unit of Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co.
    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-26/australia-sees-green-power-savings-in-adding-solar-to-wind-farms

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    • #
      Analitik

      Wow – 10 MW of PV (to add to the titanic 165.5 MW of wind turbines). HUUUGE

      I imagine that any more PV would have risked overloading the transmission lines that connect Gullen Range to the rest of the NSW grid.
      Damn that pesky “gold plating” of “pole and wires”

      There needs to be serious audit of ARENA’s activities – a glance at their projects suggests that the ROI on their funding is laughable
      http://arena.gov.au/projects/

      10

  • #
    pat

    25 Jul: San Diego Union Tribune: Jeff McDonald: San Diego cancels projects for troubled solar firm
    San Diego’s high-profile push into solar power is facing a setback as city officials have canceled five projects by contractor SunEdison.
    More projects could be terminated under the 2015 agreement as soon as next month.
    “SunEdison has failed to meet schedule and contract deadlines stated in the contract,” says a July 6 letter from the city’s Environmental Services Department to the solar provider.
    The San Diego Union-Tribune learned of the terminations through a request under the California Public Records Act…
    The company, which filed for bankruptcy in April, did not respond to questions about the city’s terminations or say whether it would complete other projects specified in the San Diego contract…
    SunEdison signed a deal late last year that called for the company to build 25 solar projects on publicly owned property across San Diego, then sell the electricity to the city over 20 years.
    The city has 40 other sites identified for a second phase of solar installations…
    The panels were supposed to be installed at no cost to San Diego at libraries, recreation centers, police and fire stations and other city properties…
    SunEdison has had trouble delivering on contracts with other governmental agencies…
    http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/jul/25/sun-edison-update/
    25 Jul: MainePublicBroadcasting: Fred Bever: LePage Proposes End to Solar Net Metering Program
    Gov. Paul LePage is proposing a three-year “grandfather” period to allow Maine residents who have installed solar panels to recover some of their upfront investment through a practice called net metering. After that, he wants to end the program. The governor’s new proposal is drawing swift criticism from the solar industry…
    But as more people have gone solar, the policy has come under fire, with some saying it forces nonsolar customers to pay an unfair share of maintaining the electric grid.
    LePage wants to get rid of net metering altogether…
    http://news.mpbn.net/post/lepage-proposes-end-solar-net-metering-program

    40

  • #
    pat

    u can put out a Press Release, but that doesn’t mean the Press will publish it. no MSM so far, tho Carbon Pulse has a couple of paras but then requires subscription:

    27 Jul: UK Govt Insolvency Service: Press release: Mastermind of unscrupulous African stove investment gets 14 year ban
    Mark Andrew Ayres has been disqualified for 14 years from 15 July 2016 after an Insolvency Service investigation.
    Mark Andrew Ayres, previously known as Mark Eyres and Mark Heaver, acted as a director of Global Eco Projects Ltd (GEP), in breach of a prior director disqualification. He also caused it to both receive investor monies in breach of financial regulations, and fail to protect those monies, as contractually agreed with its investors.
    In addition, two of GEP’s registered directors, John Roger Childs and Mark Francis Cooney, were disqualified for 7 years from 14 and 29 April 2016 respectively. This was for first allowing Mr Ayres to act until 31 July 2013 as mentioned above, and then their decision to continue trading from August 2013, receiving and disposing of further investment funds while insolvent, in breach of financial regulations and contract…
    •investors were induced to make payment of £666,000 to the company on the basis of investment in a mission to help half a million families to live a healthier and safer life, by giving them a clean, efficient stove to cook on. The free distribution of stoves would generate an income through the obtaining of Gold Standard carbon credits. An interest payment of 30% of the loan was to be paid 24 months and 6 weeks from the agreement date and daily interest would then accrue at 12% per year, payable yearly in arrears, with the full capital of the loan to be repaid after 7 years…
    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mastermind-of-unscrupulous-african-stove-investment-gets-14-year-ban

    28 Jul: CarbonPulse: Director trio barred in UK over African cookstove swindle
    Three men have been disqualified from acting as directors in the UK over their role in what they claimed was a Gold Standard-certified investment scheme involving the distribution of clean cookstoves in Africa
    http://carbon-pulse.com/22836/

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  • #
    pat

    comment #25 is in moderation.

    another Press Release of no interest to the Press:

    28 Jul: foreignaffairs New Zealand: Press release: Maximum disqualification for director involved in selling carbon credits
    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments on the hour – Press Release/Statement:
    Anthony Allen, aged 31, the director of Global Neutral Ltd (Global Neutral), has received the maximum disqualification preventing him acting as a director for 15 years. An Insolvency Service investigation found that under Mr Allen’s sole control, Global Neutral used misleading sales practices to take more than £1.1 million from members of the public between April and September 2012 to buy Voluntary Emission Reduction carbon credit units (VERs) as investments. There is no genuine market for VERs that is accessible to the public to resell their units. In the unlikely event they could have been sold, the units had been marked up so much over cost price by Global Neutral that customers would not be able to make a profit…
    The Official Receiver’s investigation uncovered that Global Neutral was the successor to World Future Ltd, another company that was investigated and wound up in the public interest for its misleading sales of VERs as investments.
    Apart from working as a junior salesman for 8 months at World Future, Anthony Allen had no knowledge or experience of the carbon market when he set up Global Neutral and took on at least 12 of World Future’s sales staff without interview.
    Mr Allen claimed: “The carbon credits were not sold as an investment, as I don’t believe it was an investment. Some customers believed it was, not due to anything we said”. However, sales scripts recovered from the trading premises and information from customers make it clear that the sales people repeatedly misled customers by referring to high returns that customers would allegedly make…
    http://foreignaffairs.co.nz/2016/07/27/press-release-maximum-disqualification-for-director-involved-in-selling-carbon-credits/

    20

  • #
    pat

    ***it’s not only “righteous”…it’s profitable!

    28 Jul: Financial Times: Andrew Ward: Rockefeller fund backs Africa renewables
    The Rockefeller Brothers Fund is part of a consortium of investors supporting a scheme led by Mainstream Renewable Power of Ireland to build 1.3 gigawatts of carbon-free generating capacity in Africa by 2018…
    The fund, founded by the sons of Mr Rockefeller in 1940 to promote “a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world”, has committed $10m to the African renewables scheme.
    The money will help finance Lekela Power, a joint-venture between Mainstream and Actis, a private equity fund spun out of the UK government in 2004 to invest in the developing world. Lekela is planning wind and solar projects in South Africa, Egypt, Ghana and Senegal.
    (Stephen Heintz, president of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund) said that while there would be environmental and humanitarian benefits from the investment, his fund’s main objective was to make money…
    “This is a continent with a huge energy deficit,” he said. “So there is a social impulse [to invest] but it is also an extraordinary opportunity for Africa to ***leapfrog the old energy systems of the past to the new green energy systems of the future.”…
    Mainstream has been operating in Africa since 2009 and says it is playing an important role in the delivery of US President Barack Obama’s “Power Africa” plan to add 30,000 megawatts of electricity capacity to the continent by 2030.
    Eddie O’Connor, the co-founder and chief executive of Mainstream, said the falling cost of wind and solar power meant these were increasingly the most affordable options for expanding access to electricity in Africa.
    “Wind power is about 50 per cent cheaper than new coal capacity in South Africa,” he said. “It’s not only the ***righteous thing to do from an environmental standpoint but it’s also sensible economically.”
    http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/74b82046-5449-11e6-9664-e0bdc13c3bef.html

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    • #
      TdeF

      ***leapfrog the old energy systems of the past to the new green energy systems of the future.”…

      Leapfrog? Translation? Three times the size of Australia and no oil, no coal for most. (Except Nigeria and South Sudan)

      The windmills are all in countries which do not need them. Only South Australia is crazy enough to shut down solid reliable power whose only outputs are CO2 and H2O. Both terrible pollutants from which all life is made. H2O form clouds and has the greatest effect on our weather. It should be banned.

      I also read in the Australian that someone wants to ban oversize chicken parmigiana because people cannot eat them. First made up data from the US, they said half our restaurant food is thrown out, which is something true in the US but not in Australia. We could send all those half parmigianas to poor countries. Is there no end to people wanting to pass laws?

      18C must go. A law against even expressing an opinion. Only in Australia. Can Malcolm remove it? Abbott could not. We will see. It all depends on the senate and there is a strong possibility, but Malcolm probably approves of 18C.

      60

      • #
        TdeF

        South Africa has lots of coal.

        50

        • #
          Dennis

          Yes they do, and during the many years of UN sanctions against trade with SA they converted coal into transport fuel, diesel.

          Australia should be doing it now, building nuclear power stations or thorium molten salt reactors for electricity supplies.

          20

          • #
            Another Ian

            Dennis

            Also interesting that a lot of the main railway lines were electric but there were still steamers for shunting.

            00

    • #
      Analitik

      Eskom, the South African electricity supplier, would appear to disagree with Mainstream Renewable Power and hence the Rockerfellers

      If anything, they’ve increased the burden. We have to buy solar and wind even when the wind generates at 2am. There’s nothing we can do with it at that time. And of the installed capacity of wind and solar energy, availability is only 30%. If you have 2000MW installed, there is only 600MW available at any one time

      Renewable power ‘just raises Eskom’s costs’

      The CEO Brian Molefe said he wanted South Africa’s base load to be provided by coal and nuclear and that further independent renewable power production will be impractical without mass energy storage (which doesn’t currently exist).

      50

  • #
    TdeF

    Can 18C now be repealed? Possibly Turnbull might do some good for himself and everyone else.

    Likely Senate

    Liberals/Nationals 30
    ALP 27 Greens 8
    One Nation 3
    Xenophon 3
    Justice party 1
    Lambie 1

    So Coalition 30, Greens/ALP 35
    On this One Nation + Hinch so 34 for repeal.
    You have to assume Lambie will do nothing, so Xenophon would have to agree and while he is left leaning, we have the freedom of speech of a dictatorship.

    The farce in Queensland University of Technology case is utterly disgraceful. Death by legal fees.
    18C must go!

    60

    • #
      Yonniestone

      Lambie could jump on board, she recently backed Pauline’s call for a royal commission into I$lam and it’s relevance in Australia.

      Notice how it’s the women of this country that’re making headlines for speaking about what the majority think, a few men in parliament could show such courage.

      50

      • #
        TdeF

        The women have to be a lot tougher and there is no one tougher than Pauline. Jailed for a signature. Serious criminals like the Lindt Cafe Moni who was on a murder charge and 200 other criminal charges never saw a judge. Iran wanted to extradite him for crimes and we protected him. Pauline though was incarcerated. Abbott led the team. However possibly these two very tough people are also very pragmatic. We will see.

        Xenophon though can pass or refuse legislation at will. Left of centre, he may still agree that 18C is the most awful restriction on free speech in Australian history. Death by lawyer for speaking out.

        30

    • #
      Dennis

      It is important to get repeal in perspective, to start with it was a Labor Attorney General who introduced the Anti-Discrimination Act and another added Section 18C so convincing Labor Senators to repeal that Section is almost impossible. Add to this their supporters outside of the Parliament being: Human Rights, Civil Libertarians, a couple of State Premiers (earlier at least) and ALL of the churches.

      The combined churches still have significant influence and congregations.

      I agree that S18C should be at least amended, preferably repealed.

      But as long as the Senate is uncontrollable and hostile to the Government there can be no meaningful discussion. Check the “debate” between Senator Brandis QC and Attorney General and Labor Senator Penny Wong at the time S18C repeal was on the table.

      10

  • #
    OldOzzie

    What I find amazing is that having (as one of the dumb self-funded retirees) having kicked 3 lots of $100 to Tony Abbott, Liberals in last Election, and Andrew Hastie before Canning By-Election, I received no email/letter of thanks, and had not one approach for donations from the Liberal Party during the current election –notwithstanding they would not have got a cent from me and will not until Turdbull goes.

    An amazing incompetent Liberal Party, and at least I gave Tony Abbott No.2 after Christian Democrats on HOR as I wanted him re-elected, but denying Liberals $2.68 AEC Funding, and other than Jim Molan Liberal No. 1 on Senate, every other Liberal was last in reverse order in the Senate after Labor and Greens.

    In Next NSW Sate Election, Mike Baird Liberal for Manly, Erdogan apprentice, will be last, and I will be chasing Peter MacDonald, former Independent Member for Manly and Former Mayor of Manly to run again against our incompetent Local Member for Manly, in Mike Baird

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    • #
      Dennis

      You cannot remember 16 years of Labor Government in New South Wales and the run down infrastructure, the failure to release enough government land for housing, the activities of some members of cabinet like Eddie Obeid, etc.

      Or that shortly before they left office they rushed the sale through (sale not lease) of government owned private companies in the electricity business that were valued at more than $12 billion for $5.9 billion, a loss to taxpayers of $6.1 billion.

      And all but $800 million of the $5.9 billion sale went on repaying debts on those company’s books used to pay the State Labor Government extra dividends that were used to make State Budgets appear better than they were.

      The O’Farrell and Baird Coalition Governments have addressed the issues and made significant progress, and have lifted the State economic position from way down the list to the top.

      Be careful what you wish for.

      20

      • #
        KinkyKeith

        Hi Dennis

        Here in Newcastle we can’t win either way.

        Labor has never done anything for us and when we turfed them out at the last state election we were relieved to have an apparently talented member.

        He unfotunately laid low while the parti set about collecting and securing the spoils of victory over the now unimportant voters. Now we are back in the clutches of Laba and lined up for long term rape and pillage.

        Seems that they are all tarred with the same brush.

        This is why I applauded the Brexit Rebellion and the USAs Trump Rebellion.

        We are all fed up, just look at the latest”important” debate which is whether Rudd should be nominated.

        Crazy. KK

        51

        • #
          Dennis

          Keith, I am aware that not all politicians are unaware of their duties and responsibilities as elected representatives of voters, their constituents, but too many of them seem to board the gravy train with only self interest and ambitions in mind.

          21

        • #

          State Liberal branch’s behaviour in your area did not help with the Federal election. That bad taste might last another election or 2

          11

          • #
            KinkyKeith

            I presume you are talking about the amounts of corrupt money that made the headlines?.

            What was it? $20,000 or so each?

            The big money, $10 million in in “reorganised” project?

            That was never commented on by the investigative journalists who likewise, for decades, ignored similar moves by Labs.

            You remind me of the Frenchman in the post by Dariusz above.

            Be alert, look outside the little pc square.

            KK

            10

  • #
    pat

    just saw someone comment elsewhere on the following “biases” bit of Michelle Guthrie/ABC’s speech. don’t know how i missed excerpting it.
    however, once again, biases for Guthrie is all about appearances, not about diversity of opinion:

    Guthrie: Do ***unconscious biases lurk in our corridors?
    Our Charter requires us to reflect the nation in its content. While much has been made of my early remarks on diversity, it should come as no surprise.
    Based on an awareness of the pace of change and a recognition that we, and by that I include all media companies, need to be better at connecting with our audiences.
    Look at the data. PWC’s modelling in its latest Entertainment Outlookidentifies the average media industry worker as 27, male, caucasian, living in Bondi, Newtown, St Kilda or Richmond.
    Contrast that with these demographics:
    28% of Australians were born overseas and an additional 20% are like me, second-generation Australians
    One in five Australians speak a language other than English at home
    2.69 million people are projected to migrate to Australia by 2025
    Migration from China grew 37% from 2008-2013.
    It is incumbent on the national broadcaster to reflect this change — in its staffing and in its content…
    http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/abc-boss-michelle-guthrie-promises-to-give-aunty-a-multicultural-facelift/news-story/329cd04c7e8fb2bc91a5573ff0875019

    ***forget the unconscious biases, Guthrie and deal with the CONSCIOUS ones.

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  • #
    pat

    28 Jul: Call for details of overhaul of NEM
    by Mark Ludlow & Ben Potter
    While Mr Frydenberg’s remarks about the shift away from fossil fuels to renewables have been largely welcomed by the energy sector, there has also been a call to bring forward the review of climate policy due next year given the convergence of the two policy areas.
    But fossil fuel advocates have accused the Turnbull government of contradicting its own energy white paper about the importance of coal as a low-cost, reliable energy source.
    “The bottom line is the federal government should not mandate the composition of the energy mix,” Mineral Council of Australia’s executive director Greg Evans said.
    Mr Evans said coal still supplied 76 per cent of energy supply in the NEM and a new super-critical power plant could cut emissions by up to 50 per cent…
    Clean Energy Council chief executive Kane Thornton said a long-term strategic plan was essential to move to a zero-emissions future.
    “This has been what’s missing in Australia the past few years. We can now have a ***mature conversation about what we need to change,” he said…
    “Batteries and interconnectors are a band-aid solution to energy shortages. They don’t actually generate electricity – they only store or carry the power that someone still has to produce,” IPA research director Brett Hogan said.
    http://www.afr.com/news/politics/call-for-details-of-overhaul-of-nem-20160728-gqffql

    28 Jul: AFR: Ben Potter: Transgrid backs $500m NSW-SA interconnector to ease power crisis
    Mr Italiano said an interconnector would be better than other options such as installing huge batteries or putting more gas generation on standby because it would reduce wholesale electricity prices and increase reliability…
    The interconnector would be built jointly with South Australian transmission company Electranet – with each side bearing half the cost – and could open up western NSW to more wind and solar energy production…
    Mr Italiano said the shareholders of the newly privatised Transgrid – Spark Infrastructure, Hastings Fund Management, Canadian pension fund CDPQ and Abu Dhabi and Kuwaiti sovereign wealth funds – backed the new interconnector…
    But energy expert Bruce Mountain of CME, who has studied the alternative idea of upgrading the Heywood interconnector to Victoria for industry groups, said the Transgrid-Electranet proposal has a long way to run because Victorian transmission company Ausnet Services and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) would also be involved.
    “I expect a decision between NSW and Victoria to SA will be ***many years hence,” Mr Mountain said…
    Wholesale prices in South Australia reached $14,000 a megawatt hour – more than 100 times typical levels – as gas prices surged and the existing Heywood interconnector to Victoria was down for an upgrade…
    Transgrid said. South Australia’s wholesale prices have eased from their extreme highs, but are still typically $40MWh and at times more than $100 higher than NSW average prices…
    http://www.afr.com/news/transgrid-backs-500m-nswsa-interconnector-to-ease-power-crisis-20160728-gqfms6

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    pat

    SMH: Australia won’t nominate Kevin Rudd to be the next United Nations secretary-general, after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull decided not to back the former Labor leader amid strong cabinet opposition

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    pat

    29 Jul: AFR: Alan Moran: Renewables an expensive rejection of cheap fuel and competitive advantage
    (Alan Moran is with Regulation Economics)
    Exotic renewable energy from wind and solar costs three times as much as electricity from coal and gas generation plant. Renewables are subsidised by households and firms being required to include growing proportions of renewable energy in their electricity supply…
    Over the past 20 years the renewable energy requirements’ noose around the Australian economy has been progressively tightened. Australia, with its low-cost coal and gas supplies, was once one of the world’s cheapest electricity markets but, due to renewable regulations, is now among the most expensive.
    Not only are wind and solar high cost but a renewables-heavy network is unreliable, as is illustrated by the recent near breakdown of supply in South Australia…
    As President, Donald Trump would dump the US participation in the Paris agreement. That would leave as its sole promoter the economically moribund EU, responsible for only one tenth of the world’s emissions. Moreover, Britain’s departure from the EU may presage a European rethink…
    http://www.afr.com/opinion/columnists/renewables-an-expensive-rejection-of-cheap-fuel-and-competitive-advantage-20160728-gqfqxv

    28 Jul: CarbonPulse: California, Quebec offset issuance slows again
    California handed out only 39,140 offsets eligible in its cap-and-trade programme in the latest issuance round, while Quebec did not issue any carbon credits at all…
    http://carbon-pulse.com/22858/

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      “As President, Donald Trump would dump the US participation in the Paris agreement. That would leave as its sole promoter the economically moribund EU, responsible for only one tenth of the world’s emissions. Moreover, Britain’s departure from the EU may presage a European rethink…”

      That would be nice! Are there any that think, let alone re-think?

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        Rereke Whakaaro

        If there is any rethink, it could only have one outcome … further integration, to form the United Soviet States of Europe, with a panoply of federal laws, devised and administered by career bureaucrats.

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    TdeF

    It would be interesting if the Mediscare really worked against Labor. How then would near hysterical Malcolm explain his near defeat? Saved by Mediscare?

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      TdeF

      That is when he stopped sulking and his staff pushed him to a microphone where he refused to thank anyone and continued to attack Labor and evil Mediscare. Generous in victory? Not Malcolm.

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      Dennis

      Never has a political leader promised so much and delivered so little.

      But we must be aware that he leads the first federal government to have been returned to office with a majority since 2004. Don’t dare ask him what the majority was following the 2013 federal election as compared to 2016.

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        TdeF

        The very basis on which he removed the elected PM has been shown to be a lie, a total fabrication by Malcolm and his ABC. Treachery.

        So Malcolm stole the job with the help of his friends, newly elected MPs who believed what the ABC told them that they would lose their jobs if they did not support Malcolm and promptly lost their jobs because they did. Peta Credlin’s bedwetters. Malcolm and Bishop had to move quickly before the Canning by election showed the premise was rubbish.

        Never mind, there is only one job which counts and only one person who matters. Does anyone actually like Malcolm and would he care anyway? What does matter is that the whole country said they didn’t like him and he turned a landslide victory into near defeat. His cabinet stood up to him today. Many will cross the floor and it only takes one. That leaves us running on Gillard’s laws and Swan’s budget! The only things which will pass are tax increases, spending increases and pay rises for politicians.

        To add insult to injury, Malcolm told Liberal voters he didn’t need their vote because they had nowhere else to go. He was wrong. Again. However as long as he employs Niki Savva’s husband he has one supporter left. If arrogance was competence, we would have a great PM. As it is, we have a dangerous dilletante and Bishop is after his job, as always. Why do we pay these people?

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    Dennis

    And now Folks: Kevvieleaks

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