"The result has dumbfounded the inner urban elites of government, the bureaucracy, media and industry, many of whom are in denial or seeking therapy …".

Dumbfounded and just plain dumb, because they have learned nothing if they think a super-socialist like Albanese is going restore their fortunes. Of course, Albo is the only one with a personality in the ALP - I mean, what sort of losers would put up the thoroughly unliked Bill Shorten as a PM material if the rest of them weren't a bunch of graceless grunts?

People will tolerate politicians with the people skills of dead fish IF they have the policies; Labor proved to be dead fish without the policies Australians wanted. And, it's no good for Albo to be talking about getting back to the 'middle ground' (he's too far to the left anyway); the 'common ground' is what he and his inner city elites need to deal with, and they are just not philosophically and ideologically capable of doing that.

What sort mob harbours a wannabe Treasurer who, after telling a large chunk of the population that he is going to screw them, tells them they can vote for somebody else if they don't like it!

The same sort of mob that thinks it's 'only' mistake was to be too honest about its policies during the campaign, leaving us to believe that next time, they will stay mum about their really awful policies, and put in the boot only after they get elected.

Nobody should fall for the affable Albo's claims to have learned anything at all from their drubbing.

The bubble down under includes the latte-sipping fools who think they and they alone know best and speak for the great unwashed and the nation. It's called elitism and this Author is, I believe, included in the aforementioned elite? Believe in a country the size of Australia, we have to cram our vox pop into smaller and smaller spaces in overcrowded cities.

What's next, slide in and out, coffin-sized sleeping quarters for our poorest? don't scoff, they already do just that elsewhere to hide their shame at the sheer level of homelessness! The latte-sipping fools believe that all we need do is price electricity out of the market's reach to reduce carbon pollution. use less is their catch cry, not understanding they and they alone are literally dismantling the very economy that supports us all.

And we can do so much better if our leaders, remove the earwax and the blinkers and just stop ruling out our very best options/available choices. Yes, one of those choices was promoted by Labor's last leader with vision and genuine care for his fellow Australians, Bob Hawke. And he believed he said, we should become a safe repository for the nuclear waste stockpile of the world.

I agree and ask, why not go a step further and use this UNSPENT FUEL AS A CARBON FREE ALMOST FREE POWER SOURCE TO RESUSCITATE OUR MANUFACTURING AND INDUSTRIAL HEARTLAND AND DROUGHT PROOF OUR ECONOMY, BY USING THIS LOWEST COSTING OF ALL, SAFEST, CLEANEST, CARBON-FREE ENERGY, TO POWER DEIONISATION DIALYSIS DESALINATION. AND PUMP THAT WATER INLAND! OR UPHILL, THEN DOWN THE OTHER SIDE AS CARBON FREE PUMPED HYDRO.

Down the other side, allows huge new irrigation schemes that don't include current catchments and wild rivers!

The only place for thermal coal in this sensible scenario is as a source of methane gas and used as the very alternative transition transport fuel we need as we transition completely an electrified economy!
Alan B.

I feel like the new government should mandate the installation of Australian flags atop every public building in the country, and encourage private enterprise to also fly the flag as well because it's fun to see.

Ah so, PP has flagged the do nothing real approach of conservative thinkers, save raise flags. Well PP that'll boost the economy/boost jobs, won't it?

I could pay you, you could pay me. Done on a large enough scale, full employment for a nation of flag raisers! LOL!

Why we could become a do nothing real nation of flag raisers. And so much progress PP.

If we are to embrace a truly prosperous future for those of us already here? Then there's no other choice than to embrace develop and deploy nuclear energy ASAP.

And ought to be rolled out in defiance of the small vociferous minority who like the northern bound caravan are little more than an extremely autocratic tail trying to wag the dog or muzzle it or both!

And that cheap as chips safe, clean carbon-free nuclear energy can come from burning the world's stockpile of nuclear waste in walk away safe MSR!

And as the first consequence, energy below a cent PKWH at our disposal. allow us among other things,i.e., cook the methane out of cooked coal, Then compress that as scrubbed gas to power this nation's transport until it's fully electrified.

In the interim, we also need to crack on with rare earth mining and its companion reserves of THORIUM. And save that for use in MSR as well.

Create clean cheap walk away safe carbon-free power, plus a large production of rare bismuth 213, as a source of miracle cancer cure. And then benefit from the medical tourism we could direct to depressed outback towns to resuscitate them with intending patients and post care provision.

The 26 annual billions currently expended on fully imported refined foreign fuel would pay for so much development and infrastructure rollout, a national gas grid, rapid rail, as would real tax reform and rationalization of over-government in this country.

Allow us to recover a further 70 annual billions as part of that rationalisation

As for desirable nation building income earning infrastructure, with that liberated public money?

Well, the list is long and there are word limits.
Alan B.

So true Alan B, other countries will pay us to store their fuel and
we can use it in other reactors to deplete it further while we power
up our economy. A real win win for us.
Can you beat it, others pay us to generate our electricity !

BTW when people talk of 50% renewable energy exactly what are
they talking about ?
Do they mean that the nameplate capacity of the installed wind and
solar equipment is 50% of the nations maximum demand ?
To me maximum demand is the peak demand any time in say a year.

Why have a war on Queensland when instead we can all separate amicably?

The Commonwealth of Australia is too big and it serves nobody to be ruled from 1000's of kilometres away.

Let the states be independent, while there still can be a defence alliance between them like NATO, free immigration like the EU and a shared currency like the EURO - this way Queensland can have its coal, Victoria its electric cars and Tasmania the refugees!