I agree with the author's clear, well argued commentary. The Albanese Government is doing a good job of diplomacy, aid giving and alliance building with Pacific island nations.

Yeah, forget Bali and go to Vanuatu. Where your marital status or sexual bias or SSM or will never be an issue.

As for broader aid, we should be manufacturing small modular thorium powered reactor here and shipping some as aid. Were we making them here now we could be sending a few hundred to Ukraine right now, to stop some of them, freezing to death this northern winter.

Not to mention, able to put enormous downward pressure on energy prices here. And indeed, in Europe, where there would now be a ginormous and virtually unfillable market for years to come.

Our steel, metals and mining industry and our manufacturing sector would have to go gang busters for years and earn annual trillions to even start to scratch the surface of this potential market.

However, this and other real possibilities will go elsewhere and to others, thanks to stupidity and rank incompetence of political idealogues. An energy superpower we will never be!

Go figure.
Alan B.