Australia’s 130-pound wringing wet weakling PM has finally taken on the energy shock five months late:
Anthony Albanese has vowed to broker short-term relief from soaring energy prices by consulting heavily with business and governments, but dismissed concerns Labor will shun a meaningful reform agenda in its first term.
The Prime Minister said he would negotiate with gas companies and the broader resources sector to help achieve household relief but stressed that while his government would not confront business head on it would not be a meek participant in discussions.
…he promised to fix the crisis in the short term and said that, shortly after he secured office, newspapers “were predicting the lights would go out”, an event which had been avoided.
Ahead of negotiations on the gas crisis, Mr Albanese said he would not telegraph his intentions with key parties amid rising community angst over the cost of living, much of it driven by soaring power prices. He did not rule out forcing price regulation on the gas sector but said “we are seeking a cooperative arrangement”.
,,,“My government is one that I want to be characterised by engagement and by co-operation wherever possible, but that shouldn’t be perceived as weakness,” the Prime Minister said.
Hmm, really? When Resources Minister Mad King sold Australians up the river in the last round of “consultations” with the Evil Gas Cartel, then disappeared on a junket funded by the same so that nobody could question her about the dodgy deal, was she “not weak”?
When Albo misrepresents said corruption as a plan to first address volumes and then price, instead of firing his inept minister, is he “not weak”?
Now that Albo has been forced to finally make an appearance in the energy debate after Treasurer Chicken Chalmers produced a budget torn to shreds in a week by the failure to address the energy shock, was he “not weak”?
In fact, as we survey the media today what is Albo’s “not weak” approach to policy formation achieving?
The wokewashed face of the Evil Gas Cartel is cock-a-whoop:
Gas producers rejected the need for intervention. “Intervention in markets will only act as a handbrake on further supply and demonstrably deliver poorer outcomes for Australian consumers and our international friends and allies,” said Australian Production and Petroleum Exploration Association chief executive Samantha McCulloch said.
“We need new investment, not intervention, if we are to get the best outcome for Australians.”
In league with the federal opposition:
Opposition Treasury spokesman Angus Taylor says the “record investment” on renewables needs to be matched with investment in gas and has called on NSW and Victoria to step up production of it.
Mr Taylor suggested NSW needed to fast track the development of the Narrabri gas project and lamented Victoria’s moratorium on onshore gas exploration, which was lifted in 2020 but retains its ban on fracking.
As Japan demands obedience:
Japan says it has been “reassured repeatedly” by state and federal governments – including directly from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – that Australia would remain a stable supplier of coal and gas amid calls from state premiers to restrict exports.
A Japanese embassy spokesman said the major customer of Australian fossil fuel exports was watching the local energy debate “with great interest”. He said Japan had been assured contracts would be honoured and energy supply from Australia would continue.
While Korea freaks out:
One of the biggest buyers of Australia’s energy exports is warning against gas export controls, following Victorian Premier Dan Andrews’ call for a domestic gas reservation, while federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers says “all options” are on the table to rein in soaring power and gas bills.
As state premiers tear at each other’s throats:
Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King has poured cold water over New South Wales Treasurer Matt Kean’s calls for a national gas policy that would force Western Australia to send some of its reserves east.
Nor is anybody in the government yet seriously contemplating that coal prices must also be addressed “not weakly” if power prices are to be brought to heal.
A craven Albo can take a lead from Ed Husic who is the only one in the government making any sense:
“Because I’m already picking up evidence that the contract offers post the heads of agreement that we’d signed are just as high, if not higher, than what was the case before the heads of agreement,” Husic told ABC RN Breakfast.
“So the reality is we do need to come up with those reforms and we’re going to work through that and deliver stuff that works.”
“LNG exporters and their associates … they’ve got influence of close to 90 per cent of the proven and probable reserves in this country. So their view is they can keep doing what they’ve been doing even though the country everyone has been saying to them, you’ve got to see sense, you’ve got to do better.
“They are not taking this issue seriously, they are not picking up the signals, they’re completely tone-deaf to the view that’s been expressed publicly.”
…“This is not a shortage of supply problem, this is a glut of greed problem that has to be basically short-circuited and common sense prevail.”
Finally, lost somewhere underneath Albo’s “not weak” scab grab are the interests of Australian industry, and every household and business east of WA, that knows exactly what is required:
Most Australians believe exporters are to blame for skyrocketing gas prices and support market intervention to bring down power bills, a major report has found.
The Australia Institute has released its 15th annual instalment of the country’s largest and longest running research on attitudes to climate change and energy.
The survey of 2691 people found most Australians blame rising electricity prices on the privatisation of generation and supply, the profit margins of energy companies and excessive gas exports making domestic supplies expensive.
All the Australian people need from Albo is some basic ticker, not “not weakness”.
