Australia’s Turnbull Liberal government – new style, same content
Eight years ago, I started this website because I felt it necessary, in order to help get rid of Australia’s worst Prime Minster ever – John Howard. Little did I know that before long, Howard would be followed by an even worse Prime Minister than he, in Tony Abbott..
John Howard wanted to take Australia back to the complacent, comfortable, unimaginative 1950s. Still, John Howard brought in gun reform law, that prevented Australia going down the crazy American path of gun terrors. Howard must have saved many lives, in bringing about that law, and he deserves credit.
Tony Abbott aimed to reject every modern trend. For the purposes of this website, Abbott’s denial of climate change, and his support for nuclear power, were reason enough to want to get rid of him as PM.
But in addition to that, PM Abbott was like a punch drunk boxer, wanting to keep on fighting, not just personally, but in promoting militarism -ever ready to take Australia into any war, even ahead of USA asking us to tag along. Abbott – clever, cunning? But not really intelligent.
Thank goodness, new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is intelligent, does understand climate change, does want to take Australia into the 21st Century, not back to the 18th. In a way – I wish him well.
BUT – Turnbull is still leading a Liberal-National Coalition government. Let’s not forget who’s backing them, and where they get their funding.
Graph below show the history of mining donations to Liberal and Labor parties:
Malcolm Turnbull would be no better than Abbott on Climate Change
originally published 9 Feb 2015
Coalition needs a heart transplant, not a facelift, The Age, Waleed Aly. 6 Feb 15 The public has been focused on policy and that’s precisely why the Coalition’s in trouble. “…..the government’s in trouble precisely because we have been focussing on policy.
That was true for Labor, whose collapse in public support occurred the moment Kevin Rudd decided he no longer thought climate change mattered that much, and it is perhaps even truer for Abbott…..”http://www.smh.com.au/comment/coalition-needs-a-heart-transplant-not-a-facelift-20150205-136hjx.html
Here’s how Mark Kenny & James Massola saw it, writing in The Age 5 February 15 – “Amid feverish speculation over the leadership, unconfirmed reports also claimed Mr Turnbull had moved to assuage fears in the conservative wing of the party that his return to the leadership would see a reprise of the carbon tax or an emissions trading scheme.
It was claimed Mr Turnbull had promised, in a secret deal, that there would be no such reprise if elected”
Turnbull in climate change shift, West Australian, Andrew Probyn Federal Political Editor February 5, 2015, Malcolm Turnbull would make no change to the Government’s climate change policy in a major concession designed to extinguish lingering doubts about a return to him as Liberal leader….. https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/26199682/turnbull-in-climate-change-shift/
Malcolm Turnbull’s pro nuclear, pro coal, anti renewables policies
Malcolm Turnbull may have a better public profile than Tony Abbott but he is no hero and certainly doesn’t deserve support from outside the Liberal Party…….He fought the price on carbon and towed the party line beyond belief!# He supports coal seam gas mining, uranium mining, coal mining and doesn’t give a rats about Abbott Point or Mega factory ships in our waters or the pollution of our waters in so very 
many ways!
# He doesn’t support renewable energy or renewable industry!…….Just because once upon a time he supported an emissions trading scheme (dumped that idea when Labor actually introduced one thanks to the Greens)
and just because he’s for equal marriage rights and wears a leather jacket does not mean he deserves our support!
Where did the Malcolm Turnbull propaganda come from? He’s very marginally better than Abbott because he presents well but then again, so does the big bad wolf in Little red Riding Hood! http://lisa-green-owen.blogspot.com.au/
Malcolm Turnbull is keen on renewable energy. Would he save the Renewable Energy Target?
originally published in February 2015
Renewables is a different matter. Turnbull is known to be a supporter – as are most Nationals. Turnbull understands that the world is on the cusp of an energy revolution, and that new technologies will not send the economy back to the dark ages. Judging by his response to his Tesla test drive – he thinks it could be rather fun, and exciting.
Supporting a robust renewable energy target, either unchanged from its current level of 41,000GWh, or with minor changes, or delays, as recommended by the Climate Change Authority, would help Turnbull recapture the centre of the policy debate
Would Malcolm Turnbull save the renewable energy target? REneweconomy, By Giles Parkinson on 6 February 2015 As the Coalition government’s energy and environment ministers and their Labor counterparts sit down to resume discussions over the renewable energy target, one question that should overhang the negotiations is this: “What would Malcolm do?”
Tony Abbott’s position is clear: He established a panel of climate deniers and fossil fuel supporters to argue that the RET should be removed completely or slashed by more than half. The latter remains its negotiating position.
But talk of a leadership spill offers the real possibility that Malcolm Turnbull could be the new prime minister as early as next week. As veteran Canberra political writer Michelle Grattan writes, Abbott will either go now, or soon. His leadership is terminal.
What we can assume is that when this happens Turnbull would sweep away the cabal of climate deniers that have installed themselves in and around the PM’s office and dominated the government’s policy making.
This would include Abbott’s main business advisor, Maurice Newman, who was at it again on Friday, writing in The Australian that 2014 was NOT the hottest year on record, and that NASA, NOAA, the World Meteorological Organisation, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Japan’s Meteorological Agency, and the UK Met Office were all wrong for thinking so. Why? Because he had read as much on an obscure though notorious climate denier website favoured by the Mad Right.
So, one suspects we can count on Turnbull to sweep a broom through the likes of Newman, Dick Warburton, Tony Shepherd and David Murray – all climate deniers in charge of advising the government on key policy areas.
What Turnbull won’t do is reverse Abbott’s dumping of the carbon price. The Guardian’s Lenore Taylor gives a good explanation of why here. While Turnbull has been a fierce critic of Direct Action, he also believes it can be adapted into a baseline and credit scheme of the type he has long favoured. In effect, it will be a trading scheme without the word tax. Continue reading
#NuclearCommissionSAust – a preliminary analysis of submissions
Companies and individuals who sent in submissions (as published so far at http://nuclearrc.sa.gov.au/submissions/?search=Submissions)
- they bundle people’s submissions together under whatever heading (i.e Issues Paper number) they feel like.
- If separate submissions were sent in, as I did – sending 4 separate, they don’t necessarily all appear, or if they do appear, not under the heading they were intended for.
- While companeis and agencies like ANSTO are listed alphabetically, individuals are listed under their first name, not surname – alphabetically. (makes it hard to find e.g if you looked for Dr Diesendorf)
- It is difficult to work out how many individuals and organisations actually sent in submissions, as many people have put in several. My list below is just of those who sent in submissions, whether they sent in just one submission or several, I have counted each only once.
- Anti -nuclear total 75
- Pro nuclear total 66
- Pro nuclear – something to gain – business, career,and
- Anti nuclear – for the public good
Nuke power too expensive, too inflexible: energy expert
14 Sept 15 Leading energy expert Dr Mark Diesendorf will be in Adelaide today to give evidence before the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission.
“Nuclear power is simply not a practical option for South Australia. It’s hugely expensive compared to the alternatives and its inflexibility, like coal, makes it a poor partner for your state’s high proportion of renewable energy,” said Dr Diesendorf.
“My research shows that South Australia has a real opportunity to get to 100% renewable energy generation before any nuclear power plant could ever be built here,” he said.
The Conservation Council of SA commissioned Dr Diesendorf from the University of NSW to research whether SA could reach 100% renewable energy generation by 20301. His team found that it was feasible and affordable.
“Australia’s National Electricity Market could be operated reliably on 100% commercially available renewable energy technologies”, Dr Diesendorf said. “Such an ecologically sustainable, renewable energy system would be affordable and could create thousands of new jobs in manufacturing and installation.”
Distinguished economist Professor Ross Garnaut told the Royal Commission last week that nuclear power is unlikely to become economically viable in South Australia as the state’s “exceptional” renewable energy sources become cheaper.
Conservation SA chief Craig Wilkins said “As each day passes, the gap between the cost of renewables and the cost of nuclear power grows. Renewables are getting cheaper, while the cost of nuclear power – already massive – rises ever higher.
“Just last week, French nuclear giant Areva conceded that the cost estimate for a new reactor at Flamanville has reached a staggering $16.8 billion – three times the initial estimate.”2
“When we’re already a world leader in renewable power. nuclear power simply doesn’t make sense for our state,” he said.
1www.conservationsa.org.au/images/100_Renewables_for_SA_Report_-_Dr_Mark_Diesendorf_-_web_version.pdf
2 www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-Flamanville-EPR-timetable-and-costs-revised-0309154.html
Media Contacts: Dr Mark Diesendorf, University of NSW: 0402 940 892 Craig Wilkins, Conservation SA: 0417 879 439
1 This month
6 March -Online – Reversing nuclearization:
From nuclear weapons in Belarus and NATO host countries to a European-Nuclear-Weapon Free Zone
Mar 6, 2026 03:00 AM in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity
Antinuclear 