Lying Albanese govt’s net-zero ignorance is almost criminal

The Albanese government is taking an insane gamble that we can shut all our coal-fired power stations without running short. Three more years of its net-zero madness and where will we be?

The Albanese government is so wilfully blind to how the rest of the developed world is making its net-zero and antinuclear policies look suicidal. Picture: AFP

Two thirds of Australians didn’t vote for this lying Albanese Government, and the next three years will prove they were right not to.

Not when it’s so wilfully blind to how the rest of the developed world is making its net-zero and antinuclear policies look suicidal.

That’s what Nationals Senator Matt Canavan, the former resources minister, tried to get his party to face up to by running against leader David Littleproud two weeks ago.

He told colleagues not to back him unless they wanted to scrap the net-zero target that’s been the Liberals’ policy, too.

He still nearly won, and said on Sunday: “Maybe I was a battering ram that was too soon on this issue.”

But why is now “too soon”, when many developed nations are already dropping net-zero policies, seeing the horrendous cost?

Liberal Senator Matt Canavan told colleagues not to back him unless they wanted to scrap the net-zero target, and still nearly won. Picture: Dan Peled

Just look at costs here. This government flings tens of billions of dollars at net-zero policies that just give us higher bills, higher taxes and power shortages.

Already those higher power prices have helped wipe out our nickel and plastics industries, most of our fertiliser industry and our last big maker of glass for construction.

Who are we trying to impress, when the three countries responsible for half the world’s emissions – China, the US and India – say they’re not bound by this target of cutting emissions to net zero by 2050?

This is where the lies and eye-shutting of the Albanese Government is almost criminal.

Start with its net-zero target – crazy, when Australia can make net-zero difference to the climate, being too small.

Last month, even former British Labour Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair warned that net-zero plans were irrational and “doomed to fail”.

“In developed countries, voters feel they’re being asked to make financial sacrifices and changes in lifestyle when they know that their impact on global emissions is minimal.”

Last week New Zealand dropped its own net-zero policy to ban drilling for gas. Resources Minister Shane Jones said: “The government is not prepared to sit on the sidelines and watch our industrial and manufacturing dwindle because of energy security concerns.”

Sure, the Albanese Government is now also scrambling to open more gas fields, but it’s still foolishly betting we can shut all our coal-fired power stations, which generate almost half of our electricity, in just 13 years, without running short.

New Zealand Minister for Resources Shane Jones last week said the government wasn’t prepared to put energy security concerns behind industry and manufacturing. Picture: Getty Images

That insane gamble is made even crazier by Labor’s ban on nuclear power, the one zero-emissions technology that guarantees affordable power, day and night, wind or still, rain or drought.

That ban will cost us plenty as even more countries go nuclear to get the reliable power to avoid mass blackouts, like solar-dependent Spain, and make them competitive – against us.

Denmark is holding an inquiry into joining the 32 countries already with nuclear power, Belgium just voted to scrap its own nuclear ban, and Germany has finally agreed to Europe investing more in nuclear to cut emissions.

Meanwhile, China last month decided to build 10 more nuclear plants for just $43bn, and President Donald Trump last week announced plans to quadruple America’s nuclear power and have 10 new large reactors under construction by 2030.

How dumb or dishonest does this make the Albanese Government look, claiming nuclear is so bad that we must ban it? Lying that the Liberals’ seven planned nuclear generators would cost $600bn?

But that’s still not the end of its net-zero madness.

Donald Trump last week announced plans to quadruple America’s nuclear power. Picture: AP Photo

Critical fact: electricity generators produce just a third of our emissions. To get to net zero, the government must also cut emissions from farms, aeroplanes, cars, steelmakers, brickworks and all the manufacturing processes using gas as a feedstock.

But how?

Early on, this government bought the hot-gospelling of billionaire Andrew Forrest, who swore green hydrogen, made by running vast amounts of renewable energy through water, “could replace up to three quarters of our emissions”.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen was sold, insisting “our green hydrogen is fundamental to that future as a clean energy future”, and promising $8bn of subsidies to make it work.

It hasn’t. Almost all hydrogen schemes the government listed for potential support have collapsed or stalled. Forrest has dropped his own hydrogen plans, with his departing green energy boss Mark Hutchinson saying last week “the market basically didn’t turn up” to pay in advance for this expensive fuel.

All this in just three years of a government that once promised to cut your electricity bills by $275.

Three more years of its “net-zero” madness, and how will we be?

Originally published as Lying Albanese govt’s net-zero ignorance is almost criminal