THE SIGNAL FROM SOUTH AUSTRALIA IS CLEAR. AUSTRALIANS ACCEPT THAT WE MUST DO OUR BIT TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GASES, BUT THE RECKLESS RUSH TO RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES IS DRIVING BILLS UP, NOT DOWN AS PROMISED POWER TO THE PEOPLE
WASN’T it great to see coal mining get such a strong endorsement from the people of inner- Melbourne last weekend in Batman. In rejecting The Greens and their Stop Adani campaign and increasing Labor’s margin in the federal byelection, Melbournites have told regional Queensland to get on with our business in peace. Go Adani.
You can’t reject my takeaway from the result if you last week argued Adani was the biggest issue of the Batman campaign.
With wall to wall media coverage, that fact is unarguable and the election result speaks for itself.
At the very least, I reckon it shows that people 2000km away shouldn’t stick their beaks into North Queensland’s business.
There’s no denying the woeful performance of The Greens in Batman was damaging to the brand and the party’s nutty policies, especially on coal mining.
The state election result in South Australia was similarly informative about constituents’ attitudes towards having the highest power prices in the universe.
Again, we can argue about the factors behind that but now ex- Labor Premier Jay Weatherill campaigned on a platform of renewable energy and increasing SA’s reliance on wind and solar from 50 per cent to 75 per cent by 2025. Nuts.
The result there, with the Libs already signalling radical reversals of power policy in the state on the back of their electoral mandate, should be encouraging for North Queensland.
The Federal Government and our state politicians should be very wary of this rejection of renewables policy by voters in SA.
Voters love shiny new things and we all want to do our bit for the planet, but when that means skipping mortgage payments to pay the bills, people quickly change their tune.
A common thread in my columns has been about North Queensland repelling the meddling of those who would prefer we stagnate and shrivel rather than develop and grow into the Northern Australian powerhouse we know we can be.
For that to be realised, we need a few things, but most importantly backing and some clear air.
Northern Australia is supposed to be the next big thing Down Under for the coming half- century.
Sadly the delayed onset of the GFC- related property downturn, snowballed with high- profile business disruptions such as Yabulu and national economic factors have led to our city treading water with high unemployment and few real prospects for growth.
Regionally, we are hampered by crushingly high power bills, a dodgy rail to Mount Isa, a concerted propaganda campaign against our mining industry, a state government spending billions on city commuters instead of North Queensland dams and infrastructure and a federal government struggling for an identity and facing imminent removal.
Locally, there are signs of recovery but the North needs a big shot in the arm. My hope is the sound rejection of green- Left madness in Batman and South Australia is a big sign things might be about to turn around.
Northern Australia can and will not progress without the availability of more affordable energy and I hope the signal from SA is clear.
Australians accept that we must do our bit to reduce greenhouse gases, but the reckless rush to renewable energy sources is driving bills up, not down as promised.
In times of wage stagnation, especially in the North, government should be working to deliver real cuts to household overheads for everyday people, not sprouting the magical nothing term, “downward pressure”.
Despite the state election result endorsing Queensland Labor’s bold renewables strategy, proponents of coal- fired power should not give up hope. There are several major renewables projects under construction across the North, where abundant sunshine makes our region a no- brainer for solar technologies.
Encouraging news today on Hell’s Gate provides hope for the kind of major hydro- electric generation that could sustain the region.
But if North Queensland is to be the launchpad for the next phase of growth in the northern half of the country, our reliance on the extension cord from a coal generator in Gladstone must end. This is my last column before I join The Courier- Mail and The Sunday Mail. Thanks for reading and for your support. Look me up for a cuppa if you’re ever in Brisbane. No soy lattes, though.