Much, much lower electricity prices and zero emissions are not mutually incompatible goals! It's is a great big fat lie to say it's either either! In fact we could have electricity prices, where the median is 1.98 cents PKH!

Repeat, 1.98 cents PKH!

I say this as a former power authority worker employed in a science related capacity.

What's actually possible and ought to be on the table and just for economic reasons alone, is nuclear power!

Not just any nuclear power but that nuclear power abandoned in the seventies, because it couldn't be weaponized!

And preferred by the inventor and patent holder of the first working reactor Alvin Weinberg, who saw the difficulties inherent in operating a machine at 300 atmospheres of pressure and which trapped highly radioactive xenon gas inside the core that could eventually rupture the fuel rod assembly with disastrous consequences.

Expanding highly radioactive xenon gas was implicated in the Chernobyl disaster!?

We're talking about pressures that need a solid steel single piece container of nine inch thick steel without weld seams!

And only made in one place in the world. And very expensive!

A good enough reason to reject light and heavy water reactors and the waste products they produce, in favor of what Alvin an industrial chemist promoted, with twenty years of research and backed by a five year incident and accident free field trial.

Walk away safe, molten salt, thorium. This machine burns virtually all its fuel, with the remaining 1% "waste" product being eminently suitable as long life space batteries.

The asbestos industries employed lots of folk mining the product and incorporating in into all manner of products!

And we survived the abandonment in more numbers, when we chose health and pragmatism over the millions a few folk and their political support acquired, when we exited asbestos!

I dare say we can employ former coal miners, in all manner of nuclear powered manufacture, without them risking terminal black lung disease! But only if their long term health, [the economy stupid,] and much much lower electricity price outcomes, matter!
TBC. Alan B.

“Voters want low electricity prices as well as lower greenhouse gas emissions. The lie that they can have both has been sold by politicians, but voters have lapped it up.”

Never a truer word..........

Can we really be that stupid when “...we are not succeeding in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions are rising rapidly, with countries that make up more than half of global emissions increasing their output each year at a bewildering pace.” ? Well, yes, we obviously are that stupid – or at least 80% of us are. And, stupid people get stupid politicians.

Coal is the only way.

Let me conclude, with some references to various expertise and industrious prize winning investigative Journalism.

First cab off the rank ought be, Super Fuel, sub titled green energy.

And required informative reading by anyone who actually gives a rats about Australia, her economy and or economic advantages! And encapsulated by the author in a short tutorial, on google tech talks.

Then go to, Making Safe Nuclear Power from thorium/Thomas Jam Pedersen/TedxCopenhagen!

Then if you need or want further expert corroboration?

Well some pollies are denser than Thorium. Which by the way, is the most energy dense material in the world, David!

Go to, the case for thorium, scroll down the page to a, top documentary film, from google tech talks. To take in an informative and entertaining video, where the principal speaker Kirk Sorensen, ably assisted by several scientific colleagues, will leave in no doubt, where we should be heading and why!

And even if a climate change sceptic, David? On irrefutable economic reasons alone!

And That northern nickel refinery only needs truly affordable energy some refurbishment and modernisation? To get back into full and ramped up production!Ditto Australian car manufacture!

In fact, the world's cheapest, cleanest, safest energy. Walk away safe, molten salt thorium, opens up more doors and interest than we could possibly handle and may be forced to pick and choose!?

Where Australian co-op based partnerships, could get first pick!?

And you could give me that job if you want a convenient scapegoat to blame if any of it goes pear shaped?

My preference, wherever possible, will be the cooperative model and exactly how to get that nickel refinery up and running again, among a host of resuscitated and brand spanking new opportunities!

And possibly the only way we the taxpayer are ever going to get off the hook here!?

IT'S THE ECONOMY STUPID! Alan B.

Maybe 15 years ago there was an article that stated Australia's energy prices were too low and needed to rise in order to attract investment.
(The article may even be on this site)

What prevents peaceful R+D into Nuclear energy?

Nothing save moribund asinine regulations and vested interest!?

And assisted by pollies who just want to stir the pot for political reason/advantage/survival? Rather than actually giving a rats about the future of our kids and their grandkids, David!

I say this based on the before our very eyes evidence of two decades of diabolical dithering, David, where the only goal was to win and then by just making the other side seem silly?

Even more so if they ever have the unmitigated temerity to propose practical, bipartisan pragmatism or evidence based economic conclusions!

Or being forced to wear responsibility for outcomes or pick winners!

Even where incontrovertible evidence leaves no other choice!

Except for, when against the vested interest of (s)he, who must be Obied and fellow traveler, coal fired cohorts and cronies? Or divide and rule, One Nation? An oxymoron if ever there was one?

Unless it's that cohort (40% of us) that understands neither the economy nor politics!? And the fixed attitude/political alliance (N0 NO NEVER, I'LL DIE IN A DITCH FIRST) that decides elections?

And obviously, the only plane as the nose on your face, game in town and more profitable than endless fish and chip frying!

IT'S THE ECONOMY STUPID! AIN'T THAT THE PLANE TRUTH!

RUN FOR THEM THAR HILLS, HE'S TALKING ABOUT NUCLEAR ENERGY!
Alan B.

'If the climatologists are correct, we're screwed,'

that would certainly be a first. Finally Turnbull being dragged by a nose ring is about to scrap subsidies for overpriced unreliable renewables. He is a very slow learner but much faster than Shorten.