Key challenges to fulfilling energy superpower dream

In espousing the Albanese government’s dream of making Australia a low-emissions energy superpower, Troy Bramston wisely adds two critical assumptions in his budget piece, including the sourcing and capital requirements (“Treasurer eyes long-term shifts in the economy”, 9/5). While the likes of Chris Bowen would have us believe that we are within spitting distance of this sustainable nirvana, the economic reality is that we are quite some distance and time away.

Furthermore, the providers of the critical associated capital will require more than the earnest hopes of Greens voters. The worst imaginable sight would be an economy, such as present-day South Africa, that is unable to guarantee 24-hour energy to business and households. Is this really how Anthony Albanese and Bowen want to approach this problem?

Bob Miller, Leederville, WA

Troy Bramston sets the scope of the nation-building challenge Australia faces in his piece on Jim Chalmers and the budget: “if we can harness the technologies, source the capital requirements, design the best regulatory framework and build a workforce of cleaner, greener, high-skilled jobs”. This is not a challenge that Australia has risen to very often in its history.

It requires a combination of skills that Australia’s political and managerial leaders have rarely been able to display.

What would have to change for Australia to find and nurture those skills and to pull off the energy transition – and other transitions – that will serve the interests of our nation and our people? What are our political leaders doing to build that nation-building capability?

Michael Angwin, Surrey Hills, Vic

The Albanese government and the Greens inundate us with negativity and urge us to move away from fossil fuels yet have no disputation with selling both coal and gas to China, and iron ore so that China’s coal-powered furnaces make steel for shipping back to Australia in the form of windmills.

In the meantime, 20 per cent of the $4bn budget surplus has come from those three resource products.

Ian Kent, Renmark, SA

It’s only 13 years since Julia Gillard sat down with BHP and asked them how much tax they’d be happy to tax. The tweaked petroleum resource rent tax, yielding a meagre $600m a year, is the latest reincarnation of this kind of farce. The intimidating gas cartel is laughing all the way to the bank at this timid measure. Former Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims believes it should be three times higher. It’s not even a tax; it’s a cap on the amount of income that offshore gas projects can offset. We desperately need increased revenue to rescue thousands of welfare-dependent people from poverty.

Kevin Burke, Sandringham, Vic

The Albanese government is not trying hard enough to stop infla­tion. The suggestion to increase the transport levy by 6 per cent increases costs all around, adding to all the other fees they have raised. They have to reduce their spending like they are forcing us to.

Brian Povey, Churchlands, WA

It was announced that the coal industry is the largest contributor to the country’s budget surplus. Would all those who want to ban coalmining not accept any of the cost-of-living payments/concessions announced by the Treasurer, made possible by the surplus?

David Gall, Panorama, SA

The budget provides $9.3bn to assist families with the cost of living. The 6 per cent transport tax increase raises the cost of everything going by road. That includes virtually all family consumables. It's a thimble and pea trick. It seems that what Albanese gives, Albanese takes away.

Paul Everingham, Hamilton, Qld

Simon Benson and Geoff Chambers hit the nail on the head (“Jim’s surplus: now you see it …” 9/5) when they pointed out Jim Chalmers is playing the pea and thimble trick with us regarding the budget surplus.

When the Albanese government is halfway through its first term, Chalmers hopes to get so much credit for this year’s give­aways that people will forgive him for a loss budget in 2024. Make no mistake, there are tougher times to come courtesy of Chalmers.

John George, Terrigal, NSW