Energy crisis a ‘red light warning’ for national security

The Australian is right to describe the energy price crisis as a “flashing red light warning”. Labor’s energy transition is failing the nation. This further round of price hikes was inevitable, confirming the view that “Australia is a lucky country run by second-rate people who share its luck”.

The billions in taxpayer-funded relief packages are Band-Aids on a fundamentally flawed energy project. Labor’s renewables transition is not about delivering the cheapest energy to consumers. It’s aim is to meet its legislated 2030 targets – a 43 per cent reduction in emissions, underpinned by 82 per cent renewables in the grid. This explains why Labor ships our coal, gas and uranium to the rest of the world, while deriding its use domestically. Plans to import gas and maintain a 26-year-old ban on emissions-free nuclear energy make no sense. We contribute just 1 per cent of the world’s emissions, but permit virtue-signalling to drive our energy transition and its associated renewables superpower fantasy.

Meanwhile, in an act of economic self-harm, we’re putting at risk our manufacturing industries and the hundreds of thousands jobs they sustain. Already the $275 promise has been broken, with more households forced into energy poverty in the cost-of-living crisis. We need an urgent change in direction and priorities. In a troubled world our energy security is a precondition for national security. Our luck is fast running out.

Jennie George, Mollymook, NSW

Australian businesses have suffered the sharpest fall in gross operating margins in a quarter of a century due to inflation-driven costs, including a staggering 51 per cent spike in gas prices (“Pain point: our engine has stalled”, 15-16/3). Reflecting a deteriorating economic and regulatory environment for doing business in this country, the nation’s business failure rate is now back to the highs of the peak of Covid in October 2020. Last year major plastics manufacturer Qenos closed primarily because of unaffordable gas and just recently the country’s only manufacturer of architectural glass, Oceania Glass, collapsed amid soaring gas costs. Both plastics and window glass will now be sourced from China. For as long as the country pursues the economically destructive renewables superpower dream, any talk by Anthony Albanese, Chris Bowen or Jim Chalmers of “Made in Australia” should be taken as a joke.

Ron Hobba, Camberwell, Vic

The basis of sound energy policy – something that is so absent in the political space – is as simple as initiating a move to renewables but only phasing out any of the “old” when proven and sustainable baseload power is generated from wind and solar. I really don’t think it’s that hard.

Kevin Skinner, Lauderdale, Tas

At this point in the energy debate, the critical issue isn’t about cost, it’s about sustainability. Sure, we can whinge about the cost of power, but for millions of people caught in the firing line of extreme weather events, such as Cyclone Alfred, there are far more pressing issues on their mind than the extra few hundred dollars on their bills the power companies are predicting. When are we going to come to grips with the reality of increasing atmospheric temperature and its impact on our lives? There’ll be financial pain, but nothing like the cost of doing nothing or waiting for nuclear power stations to be built.

John Mosig, Kew, Vic

It seems our politicians have discovered the perfect solution to Australia’s looming east coast gas shortage: instead of producing more gas locally, they’ll give the Australian Energy Market Operator “new powers” (perhaps a magic wand?) and import LNG from overseas. Wouldn’t the easiest, cheapest solution be to just produce more gas? Say, from the Narrabri Gas Project? Instead, the NSW and Victorian governments, after spending the last decade doing everything possible to discourage local gas development, are now shocked that we don’t have enough gas. And just when you thought things couldn’t get any more absurd, the Victorian government is now asking Australian taxpayers to subsidise its proposed LNG import terminal. So, let me get this straight: after blocking local gas projects, it now wants us to pay extra to import gas from overseas, effectively handing cash to foreign producers while local ones sit on the sidelines? Brilliant. Just brilliant.

Don McMillan, Paddington, Qld