Labor has allowed Mark Butler’s upgrading of the 2015 ALP national conference agreement beyond a goal of a 50 per cent RET by 2030 to stand, and stand proud. However, The impracticality, huge cost and unsustainability of the target have been largely ignored, until last September, with the South Australian blackouts and, more dramatically, since Wednesday last week when Labor started to feel real pressure.

This week it wilted, and it appears that the 50% renewables target has become an "aspiration"

West Australian Labor leader Mark McGowan who until recently had been spruiking the 50% state RET target, capitulated and said there would “be no renewable energy target at a state level under any government I lead”, in an echo of former prime minister Julia ­Gillard’s pre-election carbon tax promise.

It would appear that Labor's principles are all very flexible.

I can't wait for the closure of Hazelwood, and Victoria's power costs to climb and its network to go from surplus generation to a potential deficit.

With the high correlation of wind in Vic and SA, when the wind stops blowing and SA needs a lazy 500MW of power, and Vic is now short. Does Vic shed its own customers or SA?

Oh the weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. Who will labor blame then?

SM, do you know when Liddel closes ?

Dear Shadow Minister,

You wrote;

"I can't wait for the closure of Hazelwood"

Is your hatred of the Greens and Labour that ingrained that you are salivating at the thought of the calamity you seem sure will happen to the public and businesses of Victoria?

No need to answer that one mate.

Venial seems to pretty well cover it.

Right wing political elitism at its finest.

Don't worry the closure of Hazlewood will cause blackouts in NSW as well.
No one, especially the politicians realise how dodgy the whole
situation has become.
The fastest solution is to refurbish those stations that have been
closed as a matter of urgency.
The banks will not put up the money.
The government should divert money from diesel powered submarines,
education, NDIS, Gonski and whatever can be sliced off.
There is nothing more important than the power supply, because if
we do not have that we literally will not have anything else including food.

Actually an early crash of the system may be the best option.
It needs to driven home to the population generally that there is a
real problem that is urgent.
If it gradually gets worse or just meanders along people will get used to it.
The economy will slowly decline and food will keep coming.
That could continue for some time until something disastrous happens
then it will a big rush.
No better to crash now while rationing can keep the show limping until it is fixed.