Rising cost of living
I don’t know how much Ray Goodlass, (Advertiser, September 12), knows about economics, business, or markets, but he certainly knows how to disturb people with impending doom and gloom.
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He takes the typical ALP/Greens line and introduces a global issue, a distraction from immediate local concerns. But, he needs to think more deeply about the situation in Australia directly.
When we consider tackling the cost of living we are forced to consider energy costs. This is certainly linked to Australia’s responses to “climate change”. The whole question about renewable energy and regular supplies of base-load electricity, its consistency and costs, is central here. All of us are deeply affected by this problem.
We are seeing how the problems fit together and how the costs affect us all in the current discussions about AGL and the old Liddell and Bayswater coal burners, not to mention the brown-coal generator owned by AGL in the La Trobe valley.
AGL is currently spruiking its new “green energy” commitments, and to hell with consistent base-load supplies. All this while receiving more than ninety percent of its income from burning coal and gas. AGL has been described as “the biggest provider of coal-fired electricity in the country”.
The market for electricity has been distorted into ever increasing costs, competition has been reduced, unreliability increased, and users put under pressure.
We know the market is being distorted by the huge subsidies given to renewable energy, and the clean energy target is being rorted so that the rent-seekers can trouser the folding stuff. It now appears that AGL sees the sunny uplands it can revel in.
We consumers are giving companies more and more money whichever way the energy producers decide to go.
Tackling the cost of living today in our own region means that we have to reconsider all the costly aspects of what Mr Goodlass suggests is our global responsibility.
Mr Wheeler’s opinion (Advertiser, September 11) needs to be understood in all this.
Bruce Watson, Kentucky, NSW
Time to stop gas-bagging
Sussan Ley, you just don’t get it, do you? I too own a business who is being crippled by rising gas and electricity prices, staff cuts etc to try and compensate and stay in business … but all we hear from you are the trumpeting of your boss’s views.
We contribute such a minute amount to the alleged warming that you and everyone would have us believe, it’s past a joke. China, India etc are not even starting to cut back their carbon emissions until 2030, they continue to build power stations until then.
I bet you don’t even know how much a KW your electricity is, being on taxpayer funded wage. Stop talking and gas-bagging and start to build power stations, let the government own it, rather than sell our essential services.
Gary Evans, Glenroy
APEX Club call out
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