Privatisation fetish will ensure budget spending splurge fails
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May 12, 2021 12.05am
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I did not know whether to laugh or cry as I read your story (“Intensive support: Budget to offer to retrain Australians in new skills”, May 11). Haven’t we heard this before? How is this ‘you beaut’ training or retraining going to happen? More dodgy, rip-off private so-called training colleges that have a history of defrauding taxpayers of eye-watering amounts of money?
We did have a wonderfully comprehensive national TAFE system with specialised permanent teachers. Then the system was constantly restructured and dismantled until it became a shadow of its former self, depending on casual and part-time teachers who work in unpredictable, unreliable employment. All in the name of privatisation.
Victorian Government Criticized for Confusing Electric Vehicles Policies It s like turning on the air conditioner and the heater all at once. It just makes no sense
The Victorian Labor Government has pledged that $46 million (US$36 million) will go to grants encouraging Victorians to purchase zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs).
The funding is part of the Victorian Government’s emissions reduction strategy, which seeks to halve emissions (from 2005 levels) by 2030, aiming for 50 percent of all new vehicle sales by 2030 to be ZEVs.
This is in spite of an announcement by the government in March proposing a new tax on ZEVs expected to raise $30 million over four years leading both sides of the political divide to accuse the government of simply trying to appeal to environmental criticisms without enacting meaningful legislation.
Government intervention is complicating renewable energy revolution
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Government intervention in the energy market is making the breakneck transition from fossil fuels to renewables even more challenging as investors warn that taxpayer subsidies for new gas power projects are squeezing out private industry.
The NSW government on Tuesday announced $78 million to support Energy Australia building the first hydrogen-ready gas power plant at its Tallawarra site on Lake Illawarra, with the Morrison government tipping in $5 million.
The Tallawarra B plant will lie next to EnergyAustralia’s existing power station in NSW.
The Morrison government is likely to announce increased emissions reductions targets before the end of this year. It won’t do so at Joe Biden’s summit, which is due to start at 10pm AEST.
Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor has maintained Australia’s climate “ambitions are ambitious” and said the Morrison government will release its long-term strategy before the upcoming Glasgow climate conference.
The Morrison government announced $1.1 billion in funding for clean energy sources including hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage in a bid to reduce emissions.
The announcements came ahead of a global climate summit hosted by President Joe Biden tonight, but Mr Taylor denied the funding was strategically announced before the summit.
“This is all about continuing down the path we’ve been going down for some time which is focusing on technology, not taxes as a means for reducing emissions,” he said.
The summit has seen major developed nations like the United States and the UK commit to greater mid-term emissions reductions targets in a bid to sure up investment and extend ambition globally.
Mr Taylor said Australia’s current climate targe