The heat is on

An issues poll finds concern about climate change up since the May federal election, and national security down.

One sort-of-poll, and three items of Liberal preselection news:

• The latest results of the JWS Research True Issues survey records growing concern about the environment and climate change, which is now rated among the top five most important issues by 38% of respondents, compared with 33% in June and 31% a year ago. There is diminishing concern about immigration and border security (26%, down from 30% in June and 34% last November and defence, security and terrorism (18%, down from 20% in June and 29% a year ago). A range of measures of general optimism and perceptions of government performance produced weaker results than the June survey, which appeared to record a post-election spike in positive sentiment.

• Jim Molan will shortly return to the Senate after winning a party vote last weekend to fill the New South Wales Senate vacancy caused by Arthur Sinodinos’s resignation. Molan scored 321 votes to 260 for former state party director Richard Shields, adding a second silver medal to his collection after being shaded by Dave Sharma in Wentworth last year. This was despite Molan’s attempt to retain his seat from number four on the ticket at the May election by beseeching supporters to vote for him below the line, to the displeasure of some in the party (and still more of the Nationals, who would have been the losers if Molan had succeeded). Molan was reportedly able to secure moderate faction support due to the apprehension that he will not seek another term beyond the next election.

• The Victorian Liberal Party is embroiled in a dispute over a plan for preselection proceedings for the next federal election to start as soon as January, which has been endorsed by the party’s administrative committee but is bitterly opposed by affected federal MPs. The committee is determined not to see a repeat of the previous term, when preselections were taken out of the hands of branch members to head off a number of challenges to sitting members. Those challenges might now come to fruition, most notably a threat to Howard government veteran Kevin Andrews, whose seat of Menzies is of interest to Keith Wolahan, a barrister and former army officer. Tim Wilson in Goldstein and Russell Broadbent in Monash (formerly McMillan) have also been mentioned as potential targets. According to Rob Harris of The Age, votes in Liberal-held seats could happen as soon as late February, with marginal seats to unfold from April to August and Labor-held seats to be taken care of in October.

Matthew Denholm of The Australian ($) reports Eric Abetz and his conservative supporters believe they have seen off a threat to his position at the top of the Liberals’ Tasmanian Senate ticket, following elections for the state party’s preselection committee. Abetz’s opponents believed he should make way for rising star Jonathan Duniam to head the ticket, and for the secure second seat to go to Wendy Askew, one of the Tasmanian Liberals’ limited retinue of women MPs.

Author: William Bowe

William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science. His blog, The Poll Bludger, has existed in one form or another since 2004, and is one of the most heavily trafficked websites on Australian politics.

2,475 comments on “The heat is on”

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  1. Thanks for the link to JWS research, William.
    It says only 22% of respondents rated environment as biggest issue 5 months ago. Now it’s 34%.
    Interesting.
    [ edit: even more interesting: 48% of people aged 55+ rate it most important]

    I wonder if Morrison would still be PM if the federal election had been held now.
    Very doubtful.
    No wonder he has gone to ground.

  2. Western Sydney (Blacktown) is the same Maude Lynne. I just assumed it was back burning or the fire at the Wollemi NP. Bad in city too.

  3. Hi Aqualung,
    Visibility from where I look is down to about 1km or so.
    But it smells local.
    I expect a lot of people will be very badly affected.
    There should be air quality warnings and advice about what to do if you have breathing difficulties all over the media.
    But Berejiklian’s Gov’t has starved the EPA of funds. I mean, they’re the enemy, aren’t they?

  4. Good morning Dawn Patrollers

    Shane Wright outlines Frydenberg’s thinking before the release of the next intergenerational report in March.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/new-dynamic-frydenberg-says-over-60s-need-to-retrain-to-boost-economy-20191118-p53brb.html
    Australia now has a one-speed economy – and that speed is slow laments Greg Jericho.
    https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2019/nov/19/australia-now-has-a-one-speed-economy-and-that-speed-is-slow
    The SMH editorial demands that ICAC’s budget must be protected from political manipulation. It is very suspicious of Berejiklian’s move to get the Auditor-General to hold an inquiry into the funding model for ICAC and three other investigative bodies: the NSW Electoral Commission, the NSW Ombudsman and the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission, which looks at police malfeasance.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/icac-budget-must-be-h-from-political-manipulation-20191118-p53bq2.html
    Elizabeth Knight explains why there’s no question the Harvey Norman annual meeting next week is shaping up as one of the dirtiest and most theatrical in recent corporate history.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/push-to-oust-katie-page-from-harvey-norman-board-gets-fresh-support-20191118-p53bny.html
    Lisa Vinsentin reports that a Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP who owns more than $17 million of water entitlements in the Murray-Darling basin wants to force politicians to disclose their water interests.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/shooters-mp-with-17m-of-water-assets-pushes-for-mandatory-disclosures-20191118-p53bju.html
    Shane Wright tells us how a new study has found that outstanding performance can lead to arrogance or overconfidence. Such hubris can lead to unethical or even unlawful behaviour when people think they can get away with actions that others cannot get away with. Hmm.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/hubris-in-well-performing-companies-can-lead-to-trouble-study-20191118-p53bkx.html
    Peter Hartcher explains what is behind China’s crushing of the Uighurs.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/what-lies-beyond-china-s-crushing-of-the-uighurs-20191118-p53bpx.html
    According to Clancy Yeates the government says it will consider lifting the current $5000 lower limit on being put into bankruptcy, after coming under pressure from banks and consumer groups amid concerns about aggressive tactics used by debt collectors.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/sledgehammer-to-crack-a-walnut-5000-bankruptcy-threshold-under-review-20191118-p53blr.html
    Emma Koehn writes that the Australian Logistics Council has warned Australian consumers will take a hit as the cost of goods ramps up if the country doesn’t address an impending truck driver shortage, echoing recent calls from smaller freight companies for a national training and technology plan for the sector.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/small-business/costs-must-go-up-freight-companies-warn-of-looming-truckie-shortage-20191118-p53bho.html
    The Age reports that Companies linked to Ferrari-driving property developer John Woodman paid two councillors at Victoria’s Casey council more than $1.2 million in what a lawyer for the Victorian anti-corruption commission said was an attempt to win favourable planning decisions worth up to $100 million in one case. Charming!
    https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/developer-paid-millions-into-the-accounts-of-local-councillors-corruption-probe-20191118-p53bkb.html
    Sarah Martin reveals that a former Nationals candidate received a $300,000 federal government grant under the Coalition’s regional jobs scheme, and then appeared in an advertisement spruiking the program in the lead-up to the May election.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/nov/19/former-nationals-candidate-spruiks-regional-jobs-scheme-after-300000-grant-for-crocodile-farm
    The AFR reports on the pension crisis sweeping the world.
    https://www.afr.com/wealth/superannuation/their-house-is-on-fire-the-pension-crisis-sweeping-the-world-20191118-p53bhk
    A coral scientist whose work is attacked in a mini-documentary from the Institute of Public Affairs says the right wing thinktank has misrepresented her study. Well fancy that!
    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/19/scientist-says-rightwing-thinktank-misrepresented-her-great-barrier-reef-study
    Stephen Bartholomeusz writes that ASIC has shot down claims its approach to responsible lending is crimping credit flows, as it waits for a chance to contest the ‘wagyu and shiraz’ judgment.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/corporate-watchdog-moves-to-firm-up-fuzzy-responsible-lending-laws-20191118-p53bmx.html
    Incidents of Islamophobia remain a troubling presence in the lives of Australian Muslims, with perpetrators becoming more severe and brazen in their attacks, which are most often aimed at women, a report has found.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/bad-culture-growing-report-finds-islamophobic-incidents-becoming-more-brazen-20191117-p53bce.html
    Web-connected devices including smart TVs, watches and home speakers will be subject to a new industry code to protect Australians from cyber hackers.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/new-code-for-internet-connected-devices-to-stop-hackers-20191118-p53bp9.html
    After Folau’s latest effort the ACL says, “Nobody knows God’s mind, nor do they understand ultimately why bad things happen,” he wrote. “We do know that the Bible says God is sovereign over everything, and He is ‘our ever-present help in times of trouble.’ ” Well there you are!
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/nobody-knows-god-s-mind-christian-group-won-t-condemn-folau-20191118-p53bpy.html
    Humans light 85% of bushfires, and we do virtually nothing to stop it says academic Janet Stanley.
    https://theconversation.com/humans-light-85-of-bushfires-and-we-do-virtually-nothing-to-stop-it-126941
    Progressive and collective social struggle is the path out of neoliberalism writes John Falzon.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/nov/18/progressive-and-collective-social-struggle-is-the-path-out-of-neoliberalim
    On Prince Andrew’s interview Jenna Price concludes that “A friend to a paedophile and grateful for that. He shamed himself and his family and provided an excellent lesson in how not to respond to accusations of sexual assault and abuse.”
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/prince-andrew-s-most-important-denial-20191118-p53bmd.html
    Families would be able to claim child care costs of up to $60,000 a year as a tax deduction under a proposal to be launched by Liberal MP David Sharma on Tuesday. But there’s a catch – it would disproportionately benefit the wealthy reveals Sam Maiden.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2019/11/18/tax-deductible-child-care-catch/
    Jennifer Arcuri, the US businesswoman at the centre of conflict of interest allegations against Boris Johnson, has said she warned the prime minister last week that she would speak out against him after he repeatedly refused to take her calls. Oh Boris!
    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/nov/18/jennifer-arcuri-says-boris-johnson-left-her-to-be-fed-to-the-lions
    The UK Guardian says that Boris Johnson is deluded if he thinks he can ‘get Brexit done’ in a hurry.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/nov/18/boris-johnson-get-brexit-done-tories-majority-eu
    Art Cullen writes that Marie Yovanovich represents something Americans are desperate for and that’s decency.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/nov/18/marie-yovanovich-represents-something-americans-are-desperate-for-decency

    Cartoon Corner

    David Rowe and the government’s China problems.

    Cathy Wilcox continues her good form.

    From Matt Golding.


    Zanetti gets this one right.

    As does Glen Le Lievre.

    From Spooner in The Oz.
    https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/7876cd26fdf3b40ed787d4b6953985e4?width=1024

    From the US









  5. Cud Chewer says:
    Monday, November 18, 2019 at 6:56 pm

    frednk

    The Geelong and Ballarat share duel tracks

    I think you mean “dual” tracks. Duel tracks make me think of jousting – which could be a fun new sport if it involves trains

    My mistake, a duel track is obviously a single track with two trains on it:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNGGuxMEtQU

  6. Trump Is Under Investigation For Felony Lie To Mueller

    The House is investigating Donald Trump’s lie to Robert Mueller that he never discussed Wikileaks with Roger Stone. If Trump lied, it’s a felony.

    CNN reported:

    The House of Representatives is now investigating whether President Donald Trump lied to special counsel Robert Mueller in written answers he provided in the Russia investigation, the House’s general counsel said in federal court Monday.

    Trump claimed that he never talked to Roger Stone about Wikileaks in his written responses to Mueller, but witnesses overheard Trump talking to Stone about Wikileaks during the campaign.

    As Richard Painter pointed out if Trump lied, that’s a felony:

    https://www.politicususa.com/2019/11/18/trump-investigated-mueller-lie.html

    Cohen’s Testimony Could Prove Trump Lied To Mueller About WikiLeaks

    https://bylinetimes.com/2019/02/27/cohens-testimony-could-prove-trump-lied-to-mueller-about-wikileaks/

  7. AP Exclusive: US officials knew of Ukraine’s Trump anxiety

    U.S. State Department officials were informed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was feeling pressure from the Trump administration to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden even before the July phone call that has led to impeachment hearings in Washington,

    In early May, officials at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, including then-Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, were told Zelenskiy was seeking advice on how to navigate the difficult position he was in, the two people told the AP. He was concerned President Donald Trump and associates were pressing him to take action that could affect the 2020 U.S. presidential race,

    https://apnews.com/139dd535eac749aa961bc0205d10e872

  8. Thanks BK.
    More about that IPA BS.

    IPA employee, biologist Dr Jennifer Marohasy ( whose study speciality is insects), has strayed again outside her field to criticise the work of coral scientist Dr Tara Clark.

    A coral scientist whose work is attacked in a mini-documentary from the Institute of Public Affairs says the rightwing thinktank has misrepresented her study.

    The IPA says its YouTube film, Beige Reef, is a “must watch” because it shows healthy Acropora corals living at Stone Island, near Bowen. This, the film claims, is in a place where a study published in 2016 claimed all those corals had died.

    But Dr Tara Clark, of the University of Wollongong, says the film’s central claim is wrong because her 2016 study did not make any such statement and the IPA’s film had focused on a different location.

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/19/scientist-says-rightwing-thinktank-misrepresented-her-great-barrier-reef-study

    But then, Dr Marohasy does have form.
    Two years ago she was called out by Graham Readfern and other climate scientists for co-authoring a paper claiming to show that recent global warming was almost entirely natural.
    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/planet-oz/2017/aug/26/institute-of-public-affairs-paper-claim-global-warming-natural-junk-science
    Why call it ‘junk science’?
    It selectively chooses historical data to ‘prove’ their prejudices.

    Marohasy should stick to insects.

    I wonder if Gina and Rupert would fly in a plane that had been serviced by a suburban motor mechanic.

  9. The best thing that could happen is Trump testifies, but he won’t.

    President Trump said Monday he will “strongly consider” testifying in writing as part of the impeachment inquiry at the outset of a week in which eight current and former officials are scheduled to publicly testify about his controversial actions regarding Ukraine.

    In morning tweets, Trump said he might take up House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on a suggestion she made over the weekend. Trump also claimed that the rules of the inquiry had been “rigged” by Pelosi and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.).

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/impeachment-hearings-live-updates/2019/11/18/6bba93b4-09f1-11ea-8397-a955cd542d00_story.html

  10. Didn’t Trump ‘strongly consider’ testifying before Mueller? But in the end he just phoned it in with conveniently-worded answers (probably not written by him) to questions he allowed himself to be asked. Sounds like he is playing exactly the same tune again.

  11. C@t:

    I remember him tweeting that he had nothing to hide from Mueller and wanted to have his say, but then his lawyers got to him, obviously understanding the man is a loose cannon and likely to do more harm to his cause than good. I reckon the same will happen now: he’ll be all over fronting the inquiry until his lawyers advise him to shut it. 😀

  12. Maude Lynne @ #1 Tuesday, November 19th, 2019 – 4:57 am

    Ryde district (North-western Sydney), air is full of smoke of type indicating close bushfire.
    I have checked the Fires Near Me site https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fires-near-me, but no reports of anything close.
    I don’t believe it.
    I lived for many years in a semi-rural area where I was a DC of local RFS brigade.
    It smells local.

    Given forecast of dangerous fire weather today, this is a worry.

    We were woken up at 4.30am this morning by my son who couldn’t sleep due to the density of the smoke in the air. We checked the Fires Near Me app and it seems as though the Wollemi fire has jumped east and is now pretty close to the Dharug National Park, which could easily send smoke down towards the Central Coast and on to Sydney. Wind is ENE at the moment.

  13. ‘fess,
    I also think it’s a strategy to spin the hearings out to next year. He knows Congress has to show deference to the President and so he’ll have no qualms about leading them on a wild goose chase. He’s the goose of course. 😀

  14. Thanks BK for the Dawn Patrol.

    I like your commentary.

    Last year the cold-shower trend swept California’s Silicon Valley, with tech high-flyers attributing it to helping them to cope with stress. Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, 42, says taking a cold shower is one of his daily health habits, calling it better than coffee.

    Quick Muriel, before Brown Bear awakes – you have the cold shower 🚿while I make the coffee. ☕ Hee Hee.

    https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/defusing-fiscal-timebomb-will-be-an-ageold-question/news-story/15aa6110ae4d75ee929755f4d188a32f

    Josh Frydenberg will flag Aus­tralia’s ageing population as an economic time-bomb that must be addressed while arguing that the fruits of the government’s fiscal discipline will be enjoyed by future generations.

    “As we implement our economic plan to repair the budget, grow the economy and guarantee spending on essential services, we do face some significant ­domestic and global economic headwinds.

    “This will require calm and considered decision-making and (for us) not to engage in knee-jerk reactions to every economic event or request for more government spending,” he will say.

    He will link spending restraint with reducing the national debt burden, with Treasury’s budget papers showing net government debt in 2019-20 is expected to be $361bn, or 18 per cent of GDP.

    “With the budget back in balance for the first time in 11 years and on track to return to surplus, it’s important that we focus not just on the ‘what’ but the ‘why’,” Mr Frydenberg will say.

    Mr. Frydenberg appears to be doing a lot of jerking (knee)- whether or no this will be a benefit to future generations remains to be seen.

    Toodles. ☮ ☕

  15. Thanks C@t.
    That means the fire could, today, end up at the Hawkesbury River.
    Depends on wind conditions, of course.

    A real worry.

  16. C@t:

    I know Republicans have mused about keeping the inquiry going into next year because it ties up those Democrat Potus candidates in the Senate. Personally I think that would be a huge risk for those Republicans seeking re-election as it keeps Trump in the news over the holiday season when most Americans just want him to STFU and leave them alone.

  17. Cat, I feel you. Waking up to smoke has become the norm here too. Some days it’s just a light haze but then the wind changes and it becomes a thick fog that totally blocks out the sky. All I can smell is burnt trees. They reckon the still out of control fire in the rainforest on Mt Nardi will continue to burn for weeks unless there is a significant amount of rain. And we’re only half way into Nov…

  18. Frydenberg still seems to be talking about long term change, always away in the future, never in the now. Is he frightened of actually doing something in case it doesn’t work?

  19. Frydenberg says over-60s need to retrain to boost economy.

    Does this mean more penalties imposed on them? Always a stick, never a carrot.

  20. A “nearly fatal” power outage at Alcoa’s Portland smelter at the weekend has prompted calls for work to be done to stabilise the state’s electricity grid.
    Australian Workers Union south-west Victoria union organiser Rob Saunders said workers came in on days off to help save the plant.
    “It was nearly fatal, there’s no two ways about it,” Mr Saunders said.
    “To lose power to a potline for as long as they did, it’s pretty well unheard of to be able to save it from that.

    Daniel Andrews needs to realise if Victoria cannot guarantee a reliable power supply then companies are going to pack up and leave, taking hundreds of blue collar jobs with them.

  21. taylormade says:
    Tuesday, November 19, 2019 at 7:44 am
    A “nearly fatal” power outage at Alcoa’s Portland smelter at the weekend has prompted calls for work to be done to stabilise the state’s electricity grid.
    …..
    Daniel Andrews needs to realise if Victoria cannot guarantee a reliable power supply then companies are going to pack up and leave, taking hundreds of blue collar jobs with them.

    Or Alcoa could do what many other companies do when power is critical – put in their own backup power plants.
    Yes, I know an Al smelter uses a lot of power. Just deal with it. It’s Alcoa’s problem.

  22. Trump makes the US the bitch of every small big man authoritarian leader.

    Michael TackettVerified account@tackettdc
    8h8 hours ago
    “North Korea on Monday responded to a tweet by U.S. President Donald Trump that hinted at another summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying it has no interest in giving Trump further meetings to brag about unless it gets something substantial”

  23. taylormade @ #23 Tuesday, November 19th, 2019 – 7:44 am

    A “nearly fatal” power outage at Alcoa’s Portland smelter at the weekend has prompted calls for work to be done to stabilise the state’s electricity grid.
    Australian Workers Union south-west Victoria union organiser Rob Saunders said workers came in on days off to help save the plant.
    “It was nearly fatal, there’s no two ways about it,” Mr Saunders said.
    “To lose power to a potline for as long as they did, it’s pretty well unheard of to be able to save it from that.

    Daniel Andrews needs to realise if Victoria cannot guarantee a reliable power supply then companies are going to pack up and leave, taking hundreds of blue collar jobs with them.

    Hysterical over-egging of the pudding!. 1 Bex and a good lie down for you.

    https://www.standard.net.au/story/6496402/power-outage-affects-portland-smelter/

  24. ‘Daniel Andrews needs to realise if Victoria cannot guarantee a reliable power supply then companies are going to pack up and leave, taking hundreds of blue collar jobs with them.’

    Where was the concern for blue collar workers when the car industry was shut down?

  25. https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/central-coast/australian-walkabout-wildlife-park-evacuation-wombats-flown-to-safety/news-story/93a685ca4724d52d3afabb1932e5a700

    Two hefty wombats got the ride of their lives as part of the mass evacuation from a Calga wildlife park under threat of bushfires.

    Aly the bear-nosed wombat and Hippo the southern hair-nosed wombat were snoozing the day away when they were rudely woken only to be jabbed by a needle and sent sky-high on Monday.

    About 100 animals have been evacuated with more than 100 to go. Helicopter rides for wombats.✔✔

  26. Shelton would be delighted with the publicity.

    Avril @DocAvvers
    ·
    2m
    Contra @theage , the Australian ‘Christian’ Lobby is not the country’s “most powerful Christian group”. It is a lobby organisation whose only power comes from journalists taking its media releases seriously. Want to know what Christians think? Visit a variety of churches and ask.

  27. Maude Lynne @ #24 Tuesday, November 19th, 2019 – 7:48 am

    taylormade says:
    Tuesday, November 19, 2019 at 7:44 am
    A “nearly fatal” power outage at Alcoa’s Portland smelter at the weekend has prompted calls for work to be done to stabilise the state’s electricity grid.
    …..
    Daniel Andrews needs to realise if Victoria cannot guarantee a reliable power supply then companies are going to pack up and leave, taking hundreds of blue collar jobs with them.

    Or Alcoa could do what many other companies do when power is critical – put in their own backup power plants.
    Yes, I know an Al smelter uses a lot of power. Just deal with it. It’s Alcoa’s problem.

    Yeah, they’re socialists when it suits them and capitalists when there’s money to be made.

  28. Shell-shocked veterans will have their post-combat trauma eased by a half-billion-dollar expansion of the Australian War Memorial, according to the institution’s outgoing director.

    “If we are to deal with and to prevent post-traumatic stress, [it’s important] that no young serviceman or woman or their family feels that what they have done doesn’t count,” Dr Nelson said.

    Nelson knows nothing. Always more buildings, never real help. The money would be better spent in training companion dogs, who have proven success in helping veterans on a daily basis. Hasn’t he read the personal stories?

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-18/war-memorial-brendan-nelson-expansion-prevent-soldier-ptsd/11715076

  29. lizzie @ #22 Tuesday, November 19th, 2019 – 7:42 am

    Frydenberg says over-60s need to retrain to boost economy.

    Does this mean more penalties imposed on them? Always a stick, never a carrot.

    But what’s he going to do about the young people in precarious employment or without a job at all or the skills to get one or the money to pay for the training to be able to apply for a job!?!


  30. Maude Lynne says:
    Tuesday, November 19, 2019 at 7:48 am

    taylormade says:
    Tuesday, November 19, 2019 at 7:44 am
    A “nearly fatal” power outage at Alcoa’s Portland smelter at the weekend has prompted calls for work to be done to stabilise the state’s electricity grid.
    …..
    Daniel Andrews needs to realise if Victoria cannot guarantee a reliable power supply then companies are going to pack up and leave, taking hundreds of blue collar jobs with them.

    Or Alcoa could do what many other companies do when power is critical – put in their own backup power plants.
    Yes, I know an Al smelter uses a lot of power. Just deal with it. It’s Alcoa’s problem.

    As it was a transmission line issue, the point of this post is???????????????

  31. lizzie @ #31 Tuesday, November 19th, 2019 – 8:03 am

    A bear-nosed wombat. That’s an exotic new species!

    Yes indeedy ❗

    Not for us the Common Wombat. Oh no –

    The common wombat (Vombatus ursinus), also known as the coarse-haired wombat or bare-nosed wombat, is a marsupial, one of three extant species of wombats and the only one in the genus Vombatus.

    Something for nothing about not much —

  32. The drought has decimated the population of waterbirds across eastern Australia, with researchers saying numbers have fallen by as much as 90 per cent in the last four decades.

    Key points:
    *Aerial surveys have revealed a drastic decline in waterbird numbers since 1982
    *The decline is linked to drought conditions, which leave water dwellers out in the dry
    *Poor water policy management is also partly to blame, according to one scientist

    When Sydney scientist Richard Kingsford and his team from the University of NSW began their research in the early 1980s, they clocked up to a million waterbirds in aerial surveys.

    “Now it’s crashed to less than 100,000,” Professor Kingsford said.

    “While the birds could have gone elsewhere, it’s most likely that they’ve died.”

    No surprises here, but the drought provides a get-out-of-jail card for MDB management.

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-19/drought-and-water-policy-to-blame-for-water-bird-decline/11715412

  33. KayJay 😆 😆

    My mum’s shocking for using the wrong name.

    I have 2 older brothers and it almost sounds like a litany as she goes through them to get to mine. 🙂

  34. Alcoa had a backup power station at Anglesea, they decommissioned it for very good reasons, power stations do not last forever. They now depend 100% of the inter-connector.It is not Andrews problem. Taylormade’s post is nonsense. Up there with blaming South Australia going black on re-newables when the issues was transmission towers being blown over.

  35. Catherine Perry.
    @CatPurry9
    ·
    Nov 17
    Remember how Abbott wanted to put a 6 month waiting time on Centrelink applications, but it was voted down in parliament? Well the Coalition has done it anyway.
    This isn’t how a democracy works. #auspol

  36. Barney in Tanjung Bunga
    says:
    Tuesday, November 19, 2019 at 8:26 am
    KayJay
    My mum’s shocking for using the wrong name.
    I have 2 older brothers and it almost sounds like a litany as she goes through them to get to mine.
    ________________________
    Even your mum don’t like ya. 🙂

  37. frednk @ #43 Tuesday, November 19th, 2019 – 8:26 am

    Alcoa had a backup power station at Anglesea, they decommissioned it for very good reasons, power stations do not last forever. They now depend 100% of the inter-connector.It is not Andrews problem. Taylormade’s post is nonsense. Up there with blaming South Australia going black on re-newables when the issues was transmission towers being blown over.

    Why do I get the strong impression that taylormade works in the office of a Victorian Liberal MP?

  38. Good Morning

    My best wishes to everyone today with the fire situation.

    I hope Labor listens to John Falzon and earlier on Wayne Swan.

    Be progressive embrace collectivism. Reject neo liberalism.

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