A Bill passed the NSW parliament on 30 November. Reportedly, it was unanimously supported by Labor, the Greens, the Liberals and National Party. Was it about helping widows and orphans? Come on. What these days makes bedfellows of the main political parties? So-called climate change of course.
The Climate Change (Net Zero Future) Bill 2023 sets a target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions in NSW by at least 50% from their level in 2005; and, astoundingly, due to the Coalition’s intervention, by at least 70% by 2035, before onwards and downwards to net zero by 2050. Yes, that’s right, the Coalition moved to strengthen Labor’s Bill. And, by the way, regulations may be used to adjust the dates by prescribing an earlier date, and adjust the percentages by prescribing a higher percentage. A one-way street.
In Renew Economy, I read that Georgina Woods, a Newcastle-based environmentalist and the head of research and investigations at the Lock the Gate Alliance, said on Wednesday that the speeches in the Legislative Assembly were a “joy to read.”
“Everyone thanking each other for cooperating, affirming commitment to ambitious action, acknowledging community advocates,” Woods reportedly tweeted on Thursday. Oh joy, indeed.
Not reported was the reaction of people in the outer suburbs and regions struggling to put food on the table while paying soaring electricity bills. But I think their local members would have taken that into account and understood that most everybody is prepared to make sacrifices for the cause. We gotta do it mum, said dad, to save the planet of NSW – was the common reaction around the kitchen table. Hmm?
My local NSW member is (Liberal) Tim James. Had coffee with him a couple of times before he entered parliament. Sound chap, I thought. Principled conservative, I thought. Though, when I think back, I’m not so sure he nailed those colours to the mast. In any event, I assume he voted for the Bill. Don’t want to single him out. Politics is a corrupting profession. Just read his summer 2023-24 newsletter pushed through my mailbox.
Nothing in it about the Climate Change Bill. Mostly local safe stuff. Buses and amenities, etc. He did report on a parliamentary trip to Armenia. Managed to be sympathetic to the Armenians without mentioning their Christianity or that their persecutors and attackers, the Azerbaijanis, were Muslim. He’ll go far in politics with that artful approach to contentious issues.
Back to the Bill. It’s an irony, isn’t it, that those same climate zealots, who effectively voted in parliament to complete the destruction of NSW’s reliable and affordable system of energy generation, will soon need to appropriate money to bribe Origin Energy to keep the Eraring coal power station, due for closure in 2025, open much longer. Blackouts otherwise. Real life’s a bitch, if you’ll forgive the uncouth slang.
To sum up: Parliamentary talk is (very, very) cheap, unlike unreliable renewables.
Isn’t this legislation pure fluff, though?
It sets a target, but that seems to be a mere mouthing of words.
It of course comes with the cushy quango from which its members may pontificate.
The political class has gone collectively mad.
No ordinary people really want this rubbish. Not only is it regularly at the bottom of the list of things most important to voters, but global warming isn’t happening. Not at least in a form requiring any action – let along something as damaging as this stupid bill.
Well maybe the Chinese can invade and take us over. It’d be less harmful that what these wretches of politicians are doing. The Chinese don’t believe in climate fairies because they have actual scientists who look at the real-world data.
I downticked your comment 2 dogs. Even if it is fluff. My message to the coalition is that I will never give my first preference to a party that supports net zero!
They hate us.
We shame them for not thinking on their lofyt plane.
Whats you immiseration stacked against SAVING THE ENTIRE GALLAXY from gerbil worming?
I blame the permanent public service. School-uni-PS-grave maggotts are destroying the joint.
The recent historical. record shows that ‘climate boiling’ is to quote Joe Biden, a bunch of malarky. An opportunity for bored youth to demonstrate the complete uselessness of their lives. No wonder they don’t. want to have children.
I’ve just sent this email off, using my real name, to my local federal member who is a Lieboral.
A nasty minded individual would take the areas cleared for solar and wind factories, and the associated transmission lines, and calculate how much CO2 will NOT be absorbed by the vegetation that has been cleared to make way for them.
And then ask how the reduced absorption will be accounted for in the glorious path to Net Zero. How many more solar and wind factories, with associated vegetation loss, will be needed before the reductio ad absurdum becomes obvious to even the stupidest.
I don’t know who labelled the Libs…”stupid f’n Liberals”, but they were spot on!
I haven’t voted for the Libs for years.
Along with Mak Siccar I will never vote for any party that supports unreliables.
Will the uniparty voters ever realise that they are voting for ever higher electricity costs and that these costs also flow on to businesses and consumers at the retail level?
How out of touch with reality can they be?
I think the problem is targets are used by government departments and quangos to set their goals, which then become rules and regulations for departments and business respectively.
Matt Kean, working for the Greens but within the Liberal party.
“Yes, that’s right, the Coalition moved to strengthen Labor’s Bill”
Trying to out-Turdball Turdballs?
The problem is that we don’t have a choice but to vote for this garbage. It’s been quite a few elections since I voted Liberal directly, yet I always vote for them.
Last election, for example, I voted for a couple of minor party/independents with sensible policies. They got very few votes and were quickly eliminated from the counting. I was then left voting backwards from least favoured where I voted Greens, Teal, Labour and Liberal in reverse order. My preferences were quickly forced down to the Libs – to no avail as a Teal got in.
The problem is that very few vote intelligently. They vote for the same party they’ve always voted for of the trendy one their friends or some celebrity is voting for. To become informed is more work than they’re prepared to do.
That would required strangling TWO ex-girlfriends’ cats.
Pluckaduck has resigned!
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/time-for-me-to-leave-annastacia-palaszczuk-to-quit-as-queensland-premier-20231210-p5eqdr.html
About bloody time!
The problem now is which idiot will take over?
Hence the collective noun for narcissists: a parliament.
Yet many will still vote for the Festering Zombie (Liberal) Party at future elections. Because … nostalgia.
Because … they loved us once, didn’t they?
By the way, when will the price-per-vote rise?
Isn’t the rapidly declining Average Global I.Q. (AGIQ) more of a concern than gerbil worms? Or is it desirable?
Metaphorical question.
whilst compulsory preferential voting remains, the Liberal brains trust will continue to believe conservative voters will preference them ahead of the Greens/Labor. Any move to optional preferential at the Fed level ? Not bloody likely! I wish more good Independents were competitive at the polls. So what to do? Vote Green to destroy the grip of the major parties?
ohh and to destroy the country as well. Some choice we have ….(not).
I’m suss that the whole political spectrum passed that bill. It confirms to me that they all live in the same safe bubble, isolated from the rest of us who cop the collateral damage of their wooly thinking climate bumpf. The question is how much hip pocket neuralgia do we tolerate before we burst their bubble?
I have to admit, as an OAP, I always take up these save $5 gimmicks from AGL to cut your usage for an hour .. Reality is being an OAP living alone I don’t use a great deal of electric anyway and other than air con don’t usually have any “power eaters” on at the set times ….. usually, manage $20 a quarter of my bill .. and when your an OAP it counts ..!
Wouldn’t even consider it if I had kids around tho .. eg: last week’s effort .. use less than 62kw (something like that) .. I knew I wouldn’t be home sooo .. when the result came thru .. yes I’d gone under 62 yet with only the fridge & freezer on, nuttin else it still came to 44kw for an hour by their calculation ….!