In a spectacular admission of failed energy policy over the past 6 years, the Federal Coalition Government in Australia announced today a one-off cash payment in the upcoming budget to help people pay their skyrocketing electricity bills.
This "energy assistance payment" of $75 for singles and $125 for couples will go to pensioners, veterans, and single parents to try and alleviate the constant pressure due to ridiculous energy prices people on low income are now facing.
There are several gaping problems concerning this payment (that probably won't be a shock to anyone – pun intended) and some are:
- Amount – The actual size of the payment is minuscule compared to the hundreds of dollars more electricity bills have risen by over the past decade. $125 will hardly accommodate the late fee charged by electricity companies to customers who failed to pay their bills on time.
- Unnecessary – Well, it should be… The fact that it now seems NECESSARY to compensate people for the unrealistic rising cost of energy shows a crisis that has been foreseen for years but nothing was done about it. How could this happen? After the people voted against a carbon tax in 2013 to elect a Coalition Government with a mandate to FIX the energy debacle all we got was a government who pandered to the leftist press rather than the people. Instead of binning the absurd onslaught on carbon as quickly as possible the Government met the globalist lefties halfway by ditching the "carbon tax" whilst still practically keeping it through picking renewable winners over the cheaper coal option. The result was a short dip in electricity prices followed by a continued sharp rise again until we're now at a point where households and small businesses are going to the wall.
- Too late – The last hope for average Australians was when Turnbull was ousted and replaced by Morrison but unfortunately, he turned out to be such a safe fence sitter that a cyclone wouldn't knock him off a picket. Now it doesn't matter because after the May Poll there will be a Labor Shorten Government in power and they have clearly articulated their energy policy direction which is even more radical than the incumbent.
Nope, there's no hope now for ordinary Australians because unless some miracle happens we're destined as a nation to pay big time for energy even though it will make no difference at all to the climate as famously proclaimed by Australia's Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel.
Add to this electricity crisis high petrol prices and astonishingly high residential LPG prices (even though Australia is literally the world's biggest producer) and we have a melting energy pot that's cracking at the seam as Australians rob Peter to pay Paul.
And, we will continue to pay more and more until the economy eventually collapses into a big stinky green heap of vomitus virtue on the doorstep of reality. Only then, will we pick up the pieces and come back to earth but the damage will be extensive and take a long time to mend.
I don't think the normies swallowing the daily tripe on free-to-air TV quite realise the lies they've been peddled over the past decade and how badly many of them will be affected directly as a consequence.
I'm not against helping innovation by giving grants to renewable projects or research as you would the medical industry to find cures for diseases etc. However, we should be very careful to not try and force change via financial penalty especially when there isn't a viable or cost-effective alternative to use. That, in my opinion, is just complete madness.
Allowing big energy corporations to prematurely phase out cheaper fossil fuel power under the guise of "saving the planet" so they can make record profits for wealthy shareholders at the expense of poor Aussie battlers is just plain bastardry.
As an environmentalist myself, I want to see more practical ways and solutions to cleaning up our land and waterways. For example, it would be great to see real improvements in recycling and sorting of our waste rather than our recycling bin scam where apparently our collected glass and plastics are ending up in landfill anyway. Or, how about someone invents a real biodegradable recyclable and sustainable grocery bag to replace all plastic bags – happy to pay for some R&D into this!
There's no doubt in my mind that the climate change concern can be solved through common sense environmentalism rather than a hyperventilating end of world ideology, which will only end in tears for everyone and everything.
I really do feel betrayed by the current Liberal/National Coalition. They had 6 years to make exciting changes that made a difference but instead, they blew their opportunity like a candle in the wind and sadly this is what many Australian households are using to light their living rooms tonight because they couldn't afford to pay their electricity bills.
Go jam your one-off energy assistance payment right up your clacker where the sun doesn't shine Coalition Government.
