The Election Year

Hello folks,

In the Australian state of Victoria we have two elections to participate in this year: federal and state. Neither election has been called yet and both are due to occur this year and both have an incumbant Labor government. With the as yet un-elected Brumby state government plagued with issues, such as: MyKI (mine still doesn't work and the ticketting system is still holding my $50) the appaulingly delivered transport ticketting system; the water de-salination plant , and; various potential corruption issues such as building and development dumb-ass Justine Maddon, it's a surprise the opossition Liberals can't wage a decent shredding of the Labor government.

At the Federal level it's more of the same except with deaths thrown in: the appaulingly delivered home insulation scheme (four deaths and 93 house fires); an environmental push to curb contributions to Climate Change by man-kind that defied any criticism of it's factual basis, and an ETS scheme that was so ill-concieved that even the Labor party itself had to dump it; questionable policy decisions such as the mining Tax, and; so many Number One Priorities, that it has become a national joke.

Compared to Rudd, Brumby is good government. But really, we should have a better choice on our ballot papers than currently exists.

Conservasion 2: What a mess - lets clean up the environment of environmentalism

What a mess - lets clean up the environment of environmentalism

In Australia we have a terrible mis-balance of power toward stupidity in Government.

If we only get the 'Government we deserve' then we must have done something really bad to have the karma bus deliver the sort of policy that we currently enjoy in Australia.

If the Liberal's GST wasn't enough, now the current Labor government wants to implement a carbon trading scheme that will push up electricity prices, while our taxes will go to the 'poor' coal and other polluting industries, because they will be 'disadvantaged'!!! So, the public get slugged twice! As this interesting article in The Age states,

"The problem with the Rudd Government's scheme is that many economists now argue it has become so watered down by concessions to special interest groups and incumbent polluters with highly paid lobbyists that the market signal has been dulled to the point of meaninglessness."

I believe a carbon tax is a much better idea in order to reduce carbon emissions. If an industry is so polluting that it can't sustain itself with the tax impacts, and users can't afford the electricity price hikes to (again) pay for these industries, then like those automotive and banking companies in the United States that needed bailing out, these coal and electricity producing companies should die. Adapt, or Die.

Government's job is to manage this death of the coal industry and ensure that a stable supply of essential electricity is provided to the community through a transition period. Again, in my view, any other approach is a fool's paradise if convincing ourselves that we're doing some good when carbon emissions remain unchanged; polluters keep polluting and we pay for the privilege.

What the source of our energy needs will be has been discussed in previous posts, however I'm sure I have not predicted the eventual way forward, rather than simply a display of my preferences.

Interestingly some Liberal Party members are re-introducing the potential for nuclear power - thank goodness. As many are re-thinking nuclear power, I believe there is a chance Australia will come to it's senses. And maybe some politicians are leading, rather than following the masses.

A review of power options is available here and it also contains a link to a report by Professor Lanzen of Sydney University and Sydney's Centre for Integrated Sustainability Analysis. This report details in well referenced academic terms the potential ways forward for electricity generation and summarises the current research available as at 2009. While the Australian Uranium Association had asked Professor Lenzen to review the most up-to-date literature on electricity generation technologies, reading the document shows it to be a thorough study of available options.

Give it a read.