Agree with most of this and the fact we're a banana republic going somewhere to happen, without a manufacturing and recycling base!

Just to underline the gross stupidity now in charge of manufacturing and energy policy, we send recyclable glass to land fill, while we export silica sand to Korea, where they use our gas to turn it into glass!

Moreover, with a transport component and large carbon foot print each way!

Similarly, we export the bulk of largely sulphur free traditional Australian sweet light crude, which needs no refining to make it suitable as a virtually ready to use diesel fuel. Just a little chill filtering to remove a few sand particles and soluble wax, which if left, tends to not only clog the injectors on cold and frosty mornings, but makes all that coal black smoke, when the engine is under load!

And replace it with imported sulphur laden rubbish from someone else's refinery! Last time I looked, at a difference of somewhere north of 26 billion as a negative impost to the Australian bottom line!?

This BS and ordinary Aussies treated like mushrooms, needs to end and a few facts laid on the table, such as enduring for millennia, very safe, very clean, very cheap, carbon free energy with a price tag of 2-3 cents P.K.H!

Anyone who thinks we have a coal fired future at prices that could easily top 50 cents P.K.H., has to have manure for brains!
More later.
Alan B.

The only logic in progress, is the logic of political survival.

The blindingly obvious issue with Adani, is corruption and the political fall-out. Not coal at all.

Not too long ago a trial of a new desalination technology was trialled very successfully in Texas, USA. Deionization dialysis desalination, uses no membrane filters, but rather delivers an electric shock wave to the water as it flow through the system.

Cost effective broad scale, 90% potable water, irrigation! At today's energy costs!

We here in Australia invented one stage steel smelting process. Electric arc furnaces that produce enough raw heat to make this possible. And excellent steel for pipelines.

Imagine if the above had power to burn at 2-3 cents P.K.H!

We own both the coal/iron ore! And cooperative capitalism would allow production costs not even the emerging economies could compete with given they are still reliant on 18th century steel production and a huge transport component!

So, we could almost cover this continent with a water grid pipeline, which would be able to create a return over time, that would pay for the itself!

But only if the energy component was as low as 2-3 cents P.K.H! And only available as walk away safe, molten salt, thorium, carbon free power.

Moreover, able to very safely used to burn up other folk's nuclear waste for which they will pay us annual billions.

Whether or not we opt for that as a paid for disposal/storage option, we could still use L.F.T.R. technology, to not only produce the lowest costing power on the planet!

But a continual supply of miracle medicine, nuclear isotopes, and the offshoot massive medical tourism that'd result!

One of the byproducts of desal, would be electrolytic recovered sodium, a metal now proving to produce better, faster charging, larger than lithium's range, battery storage.

The next boom will be the food boom and we could, but only if intelligently lead, be at the forefront of it, as we turn desert wasteland into our most productive food and fibre, broad scale, agribusiness!

Reinvent our steel and aluminium industries and value add all that exits as exports, etc/etc! All absolutely dependant on the aforementioned, lowest cost energy!
Alan B.

Given that politicians have trashed most of our manufacturing industries and sent the jobs off shore, we are going to rely more on agriculture and digging stuff out of the ground. What happens when they bugger that up,too, is anyone's guess, but bugger it up they will.

Affordable power and affordable water are just half the equation, the other half is fair dinkum tax reform! And if intelligently crafted, eliminates both avoidance and tax havens!

Energy with a median of a tad under 2 cents P.K.H and rolled out as a government owned and operated system, staffed by various cooperatives, and retailed by others as partners, eliminates drones/unions/bloated parasites!

And able to retail domistic power 12 cents P.K.H?

North of an after cost/debt servicing, 50% margin and pay for most social service?

Particularly if means testing/direct recipient funding eliminated duplication/skimmed management fees? And reduce social services budget by around 30%?

All that would then be required would be a 5%, entirely unavoidable expenditure tax taken as the only tax taken or needed and which would become immediately available to consolidated revenue! Resulting in a massively down sized/streamlined ATO?

Shared with the states pro rata, say 0.5%?

And pay for vastly diminished responsibilities. Given they would no longer be held responsible for energy, health and education or any interstate road/rail arrangements!

But, be forced to decentralise as an essential economy measure! Given their only other remaining revenue stream would be from tobacco and alcohol excise/registrations and licensing?

Measures enabling quite massive economic migrant assimilation as cashed up self funded retirees and various high tech, energy dependant industry, all of who would become tax payers/add their 2 bob's worth to central revenue.

There'd be no fuel excise nor ubiquitous G.S.T! And a turbocharged economy going from strength to strength.

Lastly, all foreign investment funds, needs to come in the front door as 30 year, self terminating and tax free investment bonds! We'd have to beat them back with a stick!

If you think 0.5% is not much money? Think again! A transaction tax of just one third of one percent, raises as much money as current PAYE. Quote unquote.
Alan B.

As my final comment for tonight on this thread, let me add our democracy is by the vested special interest, for the special vested interest and of the special vested interest, with the mugs out there in mugsville, being useful idiots and a captive market for the special vested interest!?

Which stands four square and resolute, to not allow any genuine reform to enter here!?

Thus we remain the most over governed country in the world, with one exception!

The middle tier of government costing some 70 billions plus P.A, for the dubious luxury of their existence, along with an army of empire building bureaucrats?

There's nothing that they do now, that can't be better done by a combination of the central government and local council, and with existing staff, regional autonomy and a direst funding model for means tested social service, health and education.

Let me conclude with the following observation, we could have six year terms, if the party that won the most seats simply formed the government. In a winner takes all competition of ideas and with the two closest candidates in the primaries going to a run off election!

If only to rule out entirely, back room dirty deals, done in the dead of night as preference swaps.

And then the wining party, allowed to form government, minus a costly obstructionist opposition, which would then make the opposition free senate do the job we pay for and review all legislation and pass all, before any of it becomes law.

A free press exposing corruption and all we need to keep the bar stewards honest!

Moreover, they would still have to answer to the people! And or a citizen's initiated referendum?

And minus a costly opposition that costs the shrinking tax payer, many, many annual billions, to all too often, function solely, as obstructionist road blocks!

The billions saved could be redirected into long overdue debt reduction/nation building infrastructure!

I know which two of those three, I'd rather have!
Alan B.