Virtue signalling wastes energy

Batteries may have their place in the electricity transition but they must be more than a virtue-signalling giveaway by politicians wanting to win favour at the polls. South Australian independent MP Rebekha Sharkie has blown the whistle on the Albanese government’s community batteries in the suburbs scheme and her concerns warrant examination. Ms Sharkie wants the Auditory-General to investigate whether taxpayers are getting value for money, claiming, on the surface at least, the battery scheme has much in common with the Coalition’s sports rorts fiasco.

Labor claims the scheme is different because government did not decide the locations. The batteries are being delivered on the basis of promises Labor made when it was in opposition. Rather than justifying the spending, this makes matters worse. The government committed $224.3m in the budget in October last year to pay for the 400 community batteries, which will store excess energy produced during the day from household solar under a plan to reduce power bills, cut emissions and lower the demand on the grid at peak times. In the lead-up to last year’s poll, Labor announced 58 suburbs across every state and territory, except the Northern Territory, had been chosen to house batteries. Labor has not ruled out other suburbs from being involved in the future. Green energy largesse must not become a new frontier in pork barrelling.

What matters is that batteries are installed where they are most needed to help stabilise the grid. Virtue-signalling announceables aside, that is the criterion on which the scheme must be judged and the auditor general rate its performance.