Labor’s absurd state

DOUGLAS Adam’s satirical novel Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy claims the “answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything is 42”.

His absurd masterpiece has been outdone by Labor’s politics which claim the answer to everything is renewable energy.

The claim is that renewables will generate 6400 to 6700 new jobs every year up to 2030.

Esco Pacific’s 148MW Ross River Road Solar Project costs $ 225 million creating 250 jobs during its 12- month construction. There are minimal permanent jobs in solar farms.

By logical extension between now and 2030 private owners will need to invest about $ 80 billion into the state’s renewable energy projects to achieve Labor’s job projections.

That will provide 52,000MW of new renewable generation.

Queensland has an installed generation capacity of 14,397MW. Labor’s claims are that by 2030, the new, privately owned 52,000MW of renewable projects will provide half the electricity generated in Queensland.

They also say carbon emissions from electricity generation will fall by 20 per cent, no thermal base load power stations will close and the cost of electricity will be more reliable and affordable.

Labor claims it will keep electricity cost increases low because the generators are government owned. However, all the new renewable energy projects will be privately owned and will hold power purchase agreements ( PPAs) for the electricity generated.

By 2030, private investors will own four times the generating capacity of current state- owned generators.

Under PPAs these private investors will receive preferentially payments for the electricity they generate. This is privatisation by default.

There will be massive over generation from these renewables during the day given good conditions.

The state- owned base load thermal generators will become unviable standby and peak load generators. After 2030 these unviable state- owned generators will start to close and the state will be subjected to blackouts.

Labor’s juvenile crime policies are equally absurd. Detention is the last resort and offenders receive conditional parole when they plead guilty in the children’s court.

Local Labor MP Scott Stewart claimed during a recent ABC radio interview that Labor’s tough on juvenile crime policies are working and there has been a reduction in juvenile crime in Townsville under the Palaszczuk Government.

He claimed that working with the families of repeat offenders to change the home environment was successful.

He also said the Government’s new policy of residential detention centres was needed to keep repeat offenders out of unsuitable home environments.

Police state the juvenile crime rate goes down when recidivist offenders are held in custody.

It is absurd that Mr Stewart supports a non- detention policy for recidivist offenders but claims success when crime rates reduce because offenders are temporarily held in detention.

These are but a few of Labor’s absurd policies which are more absurd than Adams saying the answer to everything is 42.

Adams wrote a satirical novel. Labor has created an unfolding tragedy. BARRY LOWE,

Kirwan.