Fester,

What we need now is two parties desperate to form or retain government by being different and fighting for our votes for the entire 3 years of a Parliament, not just for a few weeks before an election.

Unlike Australia, most democratic countries use the ‘simple voting’ or first past the post system, results are quick to count; most informal voting is eliminated; stability is provided, and minor parties can win - if they are convincing enough - without 50% of the vote.

Some people think there are disadvantages to the FPTP system; but most democratic countries work well with it, and without undemocratically forcing the population to vote. While it makes sense for people to vote - or shut up - it is not democratic to force them to.

The UK is a good example. No preferential nonsense. First past the post, with a minor party looking like belting both Labor and the Conservatives at the next election.

The Brits can punish their politicians; in Australia, it's the people being punished.

"- Coal was subsidised."

I think there's a little creative history going on there.

It’s worth pointing out that even if Net Zero went to a plebiscite, the denial camp would lose badly. Every major poll for years has shown 70-80% support, including most Coalition voters.

That’s because the reality is already obvious to anyone whose identity isn’t threatened by renewables. Farmers, miners, manufacturers, and big business have all signed onto Net Zero. Every state government has locked it in. Rooftop solar is the cheapest power in the country, and investors are pouring money into storage and transmission.

So a “No” campaign would be slogans about “economic suicide” up against the lived experience of cheaper bills and the global shift already underway. That’s not a winning formula.

Personally, I now pay a fraction of what I used to for electricity since putting in solar. My lawn mower costs me more to run than my car.

Trying to paint renewables as expensive “suicide” is really pushing shite uphill.
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Indyvidual,

Glad you agree with me then. Energy infrastructure is for the use of the community, which is why it’s always been paid for by the community - coal included.

That was exactly my point.

The irony is, when renewables get the same treatment that coal, gas, and hydro did, suddenly it’s “economic suicide.”

Funny how subsidies only become a dirty word when they’re not propping up yesterday’s technology.
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ttbn,

Yes, the UK is a shining beacon of stability - five Prime Ministers in six years, governments flipping policy on a whim, and whole elections decided on 35-40% of the vote because the rest was “wasted.”

Truly the envy of the democratic world.

FPTP doesn’t punish politicians, it punishes voters. Millions of ballots get thrown on the scrap heap because they weren’t cast for the “winning” candidate. That’s not stability, that’s disenfranchisement dressed up as simplicity.

Australia’s preferential system isn’t perfect, but at least it forces candidates to appeal beyond their rusted-on base.

If you want more choice, scrapping preferences is the last way to get it.

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mhaze,

Thanks for picking me up on that.

Coal is STILL subsidised.

Thank you J.D. (and Paul) for your sane, reasoned, always on point and explicitly referenced responses to the intellectual giants on this forum. Most recent example – “ … Academia, Sport & Art etc. which is of no use to the community …” Either that, or they are terrified of the one thing certain in life – change. You have the patience and energy to respond to this dribble. I simply don’t. Instead, I’m off traveling for the next few months. Stay strong.

Funny how subsidies only become a dirty word when they’re not propping up yesterday’s technology.
John Daysh,
Subsidies are good for proven technology but a total waste for guess work that includes cutting down forests, polluting the environment & no means of disposal upon use by date !

You’ve got it backwards again, Indyvidual.

Coal wasn’t “proven technology” when it was subsidised, it was an unproven gamble that governments bankrolled into maturity. Same with hydro. Same with gas. That’s exactly how technologies become “proven”: they scale because public money de-risks them.

As for renewables being “guess work”... they already generate two-thirds of Australia’s electricity on good days, rooftop solar is the cheapest power in the country, and wind and solar are being built faster and cheaper than any alternative. That’s not guesswork, that’s the market speaking.

And if we’re going to talk environmental costs: forests have been cut down, rivers diverted, and toxic waste created for every energy source in history. Coal ash, methane leaks, mine subsidence - all of it conveniently forgotten when it’s yesterday’s technology.

Subsidies didn’t stop being legitimate once coal got its fill. They’re doing exactly what they always did: backing the next generation of energy so the public isn’t left with higher costs and stranded assets.