Australian Policies -- from October 2024

Josh Bull is a good local MP, and seems a nice enough bloke, who grew up in his electorate.

I was determined not to like Sam Rae, but he is proving to be a good MP and he has won me over. He is a Member of our Branch and lives in Ballan. I have campaigned with him and he has vast knowledge over most things, well educated, easy to talk with and he actually listens. He office is in Melton and it is well run and youthful.

I try not to let our factional differences colour my view, but I do give him a hard time over his best mate Richard Marles.

I also found that puzzling, so I asked an expert. She said that worldwide coal prices skyrocketed with the Ukraine war, so it costs our coal fired power stations more. I questioned why did local prices go up, and she said supply and demand, and because coal mining companies are evil turds they took advantage of us. Her exact words !

Is Leo wrong though?
Pretty disgusting approval on the extension IMO

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Still donā€™t quite get it.
Iā€™m going to assume this is what happens when you donā€™t actually own the valuable stuff thatā€™s in your own ground.

Yep, I donā€™t really get it. Maybe the black coal they use in NSW which is exported, but didnā€™t think brown coal in Gippsland was sent anywhere.

Gippsland brown coal is garbage, frankly. Nobody wants to buy it if they can import black coal from somewhere else. We only burn it here in vic because itā€™s conveniently on our doorstep.

Is it like petrol, where weā€™ve tied our prices to the international market (Singapore?) rate even if itā€™s come out of local sources?

Its a bit rich for Leo to be complaining IMO when he swans around in private jets and luxury yachts, plus attends Diddy parties.

If thats a return serve, heā€™s no tennis star

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I think it was an underarm serve

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Perhaps ballboy short a ball ?

Does this mean ā€œEquityā€ or ā€œEqualityā€ ?

Karvelas has reported that there is discontentment in the LNP caucus, that Dutton continues to flip flop on policiesā€¦. And wonā€™t make executive decisions, when there are disagreements on issues within the party.

As weā€™ve seen over the last few weeks, there hasnā€™t been a consistent message on a number of issuesā€¦ā€¦ leading to some MPā€™s going rogue in media interviews.

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Our domestic prices are pegged to prices on the World market.
It wasnā€™t just coal. The Russian invasion upended world energy prices ( see IEA and IAEAn tracking world prices) The sanctions on Russia, the European move away from dependence on supplies from Russia through the European pipeline network.
Then, even worse, the supply though to the Black Sea via the Russia/Ukraine pipeline system disrupted world supply( with a huge impact on Australian prices of natural gas exports).
Later, higher priced oil cargoes because of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, everything going the longer route via the Cape. At a time when shipping though the Panama Canal was affected by drought.
It had a knock on effect on cost of living in just about country.
Opportunity knocked for our coal and gas exporters, domestic energy prices went through the roof, with Fed and State Governments forced to spend on subsidies to the consumer, with the AEMO regulator using every power available to it against the private sector energy owner predatory pricers ( also the Fed and State energy Ombudsmen intervention).
It also brought nuclear back into favour in Europe, stimulating interest and investment in medium sized and SMRs. Which goes to explain the Dutton narrative on nuclear, citing the Europeans going back to nuclear as the best.

he recinded that option the day after the referendum failed

Anyone who believes any promise made by any politician is clearly mentally challenged at best and a cretin more likely.

Have you met most people? They make blitzers look like Rhodes Scholars.

Tough ask, given that ā€œmost peopleā€ would now be over 13 million.

Even harder if you meant world-wide.

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Believe what you say Big A, but it makes no sense at all. I could never understand setting prices for oil pulled out of Bass Strait at Singapore Pricing for years.