Federal government s $600 million power station plan met with scepticism19/05/2021|6min
The timing of the federal government’s plan for the $600 million gas-fired power station in the Hunter is suspect and a political ploy aimed at boosting the government’s electoral prospects, according to Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell.
The announcement for a 600-megawatt plant has been heavily criticised by energy market operators, who argue that a new gas pipeline will increase prices for taxpayers.
Mr Clennell said that Wednesday’s announcement has been met with scepticism and may be a political ploy to win over voters in marginal seats in the Hunter Valley.
PM unlikely to sign up to net zero until later this year16/05/2021|2min
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has yet not bowed under pressure to commit to a net zero target but is expected to do so later in the year, according to Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell.
In three weeks Mr Morrison will head to the G7 in the UK.
Mc Clennell said the prime minister will not be committing to the target at the G7 itself, because a plan to achieve it is still being drawn up, but we can expect an announcement on that later in the year.
Labor has criticised the Coalition’s massive $17.7 budget announcement for aged care as insufficient – indicating more money could be raised without introducing an aged care levy, according to Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell.
"Labor will be promising more before the election," Mr Clennell said.
According to Labor's aged care spokeswoman Clare O'Neil, the Morrison government’s figure was “not as big a number as it sounds”.
“You’re probably aware that a lot of economists and health experts who contributed to this debate suggest that the number required to fix the problems in aged care is actually quite significantly higher,” she said.
Responding to her comment, Mr Clennell said the Opposition was again “taking the gamble” to hold back on policy until just before the election.
“Anthony Albanese's budget reply speech last Thursday announced $10 billion for social housing, a policy partly aimed at winning votes in the regions, b
Chinese tensions leading to iron ore price collapse would be an ‘economic disaster’12/05/2021|4min
The budget s assumption that future iron ore prices will collapse raises questions about whether the government believes tensions with China will affect Australia s key mining industry, says Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell.
A key assumption of Tuesday night’s budget was that iron ore prices would drop to around $50 down from current levels of over $230 a ton.
Last year’s pandemic budget assumed iron ore prices would not experience a massive hike, but the price surge as well as increased Chinese demand left the budget with a $8.8 billion windfall.
$15 billion to be committed to aged care in Tuesday s Budget 09/05/2021|3min
There will be around $15 billion over four years committed to aged care as the centrepiece of the budget on Tuesday, despite the government electing to go for no aged care levy to fund it,” says Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will hand down the 2021 Budget on Tuesday night.
“There will also be an increase worth tens of billions in infrastructure spending, greater than the $100 billion over 10 years, the government generally commits but less than $150 billion,” Mr Clennell said.
“And there is speculation the Budget, despite detailing debt rising up to a trillion dollars, predicts