How the Coalition can win over the electorate


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Finally, renewables help lower power bills – directly and indirectly. Directly, solar on roofs can help households reduce their bill by an average of $538 a year, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.


Renewables also help lower the wholesale price of energy. Just this week, Green Energy Markets released a report that found the 7,200 megawatts of new large-scale renewable energy generation being added to the system will halve wholesale electricity prices in the next four years.


Given the new Energy Minister’s “laser-like focus” on lowering power bills, you would think that putting in place policies to support renewables would be the rational choice. However, nothing this government has done in the past fortnight is rational.


While it’s true lowering power prices would be popular, the minister has hamstrung himself by refusing to consider one of the most cost-effective ways to help households, business and our electricity system to lower its bills.


Indeed, while ever the politics of energy are dominated by a small cabal of right-wing ideologues with close ties to the coal industry, we will continue to see government policy of the likes proposed by Taylor. Policy proposals like the one to underwrite coal and gas generators, which they claim are what was proposed by the ACCC, but which the ACCC states are not at all what it intended. All the while ignoring sensible policy solutions that would lower emissions, lower power bills and be politically popular at the same time.


Article source: https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/nancy-sinatra-idol-s-first-wife-and-lasting-confidante-dies-at-101-20180714-p4zrik.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_world

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