POWERS THAT BE
Our energy bills are forecast to surge by 35% in early 2023 if the government doesn’t intervene — according to Alinta chief executive Jeff Dimery, that is. But Origin Energy and EnergyAustralia disagree, as AFR reports. Alinta is an Australian electricity-generating and gas-retailing private company owned by Hong Kong-based Chow Tai Fook Enterprises — Dimery is in the process of replacing 1000 megawatts of coal-fired power at Victoria’s Loy Yang B station with 1000 megawatts of offshore wind and 900 megawatts of pumped hydro. The plant “cost him $1 billion to acquire but will cost $8 billion to replace”, the paper says. So how can prices possibly come back down, he asked? But Energy Minister Chris Bowen waved that away — he’s standing by Labor’s pre-election promise to lower electricity bills by $275 by 2025, The Australian ($) reports, using stable policy, downward pressure on prices, and investment in renewables. Incidentally, Bowen released the Albanese government’s climate plans yesterday, Guardian Australia reports, that show the new framework for carbon credits in the safeguard mechanism.
Meanwhile, Australians think spending cuts, not tax increases, are the best thing for our straining federal budget. That’s according to a poll The Age commissioned that found just 5% of us think higher tax revenue is the best way to balance the bottom line, whereas 21% say let’s cut spending. Where? Defence, not aged care or the NDIS, according to a third of us. When it comes to the stage three tax cuts, 38% of us want them, 20% don’t and 42% don’t really know. Defence Minister Richard Marles has put his department on notice ahead of defence’s strategic review next year, Guardian Australia reports, saying it has to “justify every dollar it spends” after years of “mismanagement”. But Opposition Leader Peter Dutton called criticism of his defence handling “comical”, saying the Coalition put more money in than Labor ever did — which is a claim ABC’s Fact Check found didn’t quite stack up. “Most of Labor’s tenure saw record spending in real terms at the time,” it found.
POINT OF NO RETURN
Indigenous businessman Warren Mundine met Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe last week about the No campaign for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, The Australian ($) reports. Thorpe thinks a treaty, not a Voice, is the best course of action, while Mundine is a former Liberal Party candidate and may be aligning with the party’s conservative base. He will soon embark on a national talking tour with Country Liberal Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to promote the No case. Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania chairman Michael Mansell and former North Queensland Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council mayor Percy Neal are also backing the No case — Mansell wants Indigenous senators from each state instead, and Neal wants a treaty.
The inquest into the death of Indigenous teen Kumanjayi Walker continues this week — it heard just two health staff were responsible for the care of 1400 people in Yuendumu on the night Walker was shot by a cop who was found not guilty of murder, the NT News reports. Nurses were removed from the community because of a series of burglaries — but none of the Indigenous staff was included in the meeting when that was decided. Meanwhile, Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health Malarndirri McCarthy, a Yanyuwa woman, has launched Australia’s first cancer website developed by and for Indigenous peoples called Our Mob and Cancer — check it out here.
It comes as Western Australia and Queensland have now handed back nearly 10,000 square kilometres of ancestral lands to Indigenous communities, National Geographic reports. In WA, it was in the form of three new marine parks — Mayala, Maiyalam and Bardi Jawi Gaarra — in the Buccaneer Archipelago, which is in the far north. Indigenous rangers will control fires, look after biodiversity, and teach Indigenous land management skills. In Queensland, a large chunk of Cape York has been given back as freehold land, giving Indigenous locals ownership, while Apudthama National Park and Yamarrinh Wachangan Islands National Park will be co-managed by Indigenous folks and the state government.
UNDER THE WEATHER
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has warned her state to brace for cyclones and more floods earlier than usual, the Brisbane Times reports. The cyclone season is usually between December and January in the Sunshine State — but she says it could start an entire month earlier. Get ready now, she urged people, or else we risk losing more Queensland lives. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) says the state can all but expect 11 tropical cyclones. Speaking of, the ABC has done a wrap-up of the BOM’s forecast for every state and territory. There’ll almost certainly be widespread flooding in the east, with unusually high tides due around January 23. In Victoria, brace for thunderstorm asthma if you’re prone to hay fever, while there may be grassfires in the south. WA can also expect more cyclones than usual, while the Top End will have a higher-than-normal risk of bushfires. SA will likely get a hot, dry summer, as will Tasmania.
Increased flooding risk is bad news for our coastlines — La Niña’s wild weather can bolster erosion along our coastlines, meaning entire stretches of beaches and sand dunes can just disappear. The Conversation has a fascinating story about the history of erosion in Australia and what we can learn from it — interestingly, it’s the smaller and more frequent storms that cause more erosion damage than one big one. Take Bribie Island in Queensland, as ABC reports — it was smashed by waves from ex-tropical cyclone Seth earlier this year and the island literally split into two, with a 300-metre wide passage of water separating the islands.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE
The science is in, folks — patting dogs makes our brain light up, as CNN reports. A study showed the frontal cortex, which deals with attention, memory and problem-solving, as well as social and emotional stuff, buzzes when we interact with furry friends. The findings, while perhaps an anecdotal foregone conclusion, are really important for proponents of human-animal therapy — like sending dogs to hang out with those who have strokes, seizure disorders, brain trauma and infections. So how did we work this out? Nineteen people had a scanner fitted, and then in went the dogs — a Jack Russell terrier, a golden retriever, and an, erm, “goldendoodle” (that’s what the Americans call a groodle). The people sat across the room from the dogs, then next to them, and then, finally, patted them. This was repeated with a stuffed toy, to compare. As both the toy and the dog came closer, brain activity increased, but when people patted the dog, it surged. Researchers concluded it was likely due to “positive nonverbal cues and reciprocal interactions”, which is a fancy way of saying: dogs really love getting pats.
If you’d like to capitalise on this important new happiness science, may I suggest you consider adopting a senior dog? Malcolm Wright, 78, recently adopted a deaf kelpie named Bella, 16, and within days she went from walking around with her head down low to wagging her tail and showing genuine excitement. After the heartbreaking loss of his other dog, Wright figured it would be “good to give an old dog a home” — and he and Bella “hit it off straight away”, he tells the ABC. Even the cat likes her, and the cat doesn’t like any dogs. Bella’s a bit slow-moving and a bit docile, but that suits Wright perfectly as a self-described “grumpy old man”. The whole experience really made Wright realise how much love there is out there, if you only open your heart (and home!). “I think people need to understand if they show kindness to an animal like this, you get it returned in the love from the animal,” Wright says. “It’s a great pleasure you feel.”
Hoping you feel the love around you today.
SAY WHAT?
Had I said to the media, is it really going to be like this? Are you going to report tax, defence, health, education, or are you going to report what blouse I’m wearing each day?
Julia Gillard
The former PM’s biggest regret is that she didn’t call out sexism and misogyny earlier, saying she thought the backlash to a female PM would die down — but it actually gained pace and became worse, thanks in big part to some in the media.
CRIKEY RECAP
Has the Russian nuclear threat gone from impossible to probable?
“The ‘good’ news for Australia and New Zealand is that local food production would be largely unaffected due to our reliance on wheat, but it warns that ‘Australia and New Zealand would probably see an influx of refugees from Asia and other countries experiencing food insecurity’.
“Nukes in Ukraine would normalise their use; the second ‘limited’ nuclear war seems a lot more probable than the first. Right now, we’re hoping Russia is using rhetoric as a stand-in for action, threatening to turn the possibility offered by tactical nukes into a probability to defend its claimed territories it has occupied in Ukraine.”
Santos chief’s new climate scam: a fossil fuel-driven zero carbon future
“He sees a bright future for fossil fuels in a net-zero world. He wants ‘the decarbonisation projects that will enable an orderly transition, rather than the chaos we are seeing today’. That’s corporate double-speak for carbon capture and storage (CCS), which Santos and other climate culprits like Woodside are relying on to enable them to continue to make billions from gas exports (while paying minimal tax).
“Santos is a big spruiker of CCS, inevitably subsidised by the previous government, which devoted hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to it. Gallagher claims CCS is ‘proven technology for low-cost, large-scale emissions reduction’.”
Parliament officials defend seizure of books from Assange family during lobbying visit to MPs
“The 51-year-old Australian — who is facing extradition to the United States over alleged espionage offences related to his work with whistleblowing website WikiLeaks — is being held in London’s Belmarsh Prison. Gabriel Shipton said the demonstrations in London and abroad had lifted Assange’s spirits.
“ ‘He’s in high spirits at the moment, hearing about the turnout, but he’s in a period of decline,’ Shipton said. “The situation is really taking its toll.’ He said he hoped the Albanese government would do more than the quiet diplomacy the prime minister has promised since taking office.”
READ ALL ABOUT IT
Russia launches biggest air strikes since start of Ukraine war (Reuters)
NZ farmers set to pay for emissions by 2025 in world-first climate plan (Stuff)
Digital nomads will be able to live and work in Portugal full-time thanks to a new visa (Euro News)
World’s emergency-lending capacity is getting stretched as crises deepen (The Wall Street Journal)
Taiwan’s president calls for unity against Chinese disinformation before elections (The Guardian)
Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd reunion delights ‘Back to the Future’ fans (CNN)
THE COMMENTARIAT
ADF trainers can make a difference in Ukraine war — Dave Sharma (The Australian) ($): “Russian President Vladimir Putin has been on the back foot these past weeks, but he has doubled down on his aggression. The war in Ukraine is likely to reach a new level of intensity. Defeating Russian aggression in Ukraine and deterring potential aggressors from future attempts to seize territory by force is essential for preserving the rules-based global order. This is why Australia must step up our support for Ukraine. Australia’s provision of Bushmasters and other armoured vehicles to Ukraine has been helpful, but it is failing to keep pace with developments on the ground and risks being woefully inadequate to the stakes.
“Australia needs to ensure Ukraine has the trained military personnel to counter the surge of fresh Russian troops that Putin’s mobilisation has set in train. Britain is doing the bulk of this work, giving basic military training to new Ukrainian recruits before returning them to the frontline. More than 5000 Ukrainian recruits have been through this program. Canada, Denmark and The Netherlands are already sending military trainers to Britain. Even our smaller neighbour New Zealand has sent 120 soldiers to assist with the mission. The Australian Defence Force is well-versed in such training operations, having helped train Iraqi and Afghan security forces regularly during the past decade. Our operational tempo is currently low.”
Labor must tell a good story on climate — Craig Emerson (The AFR): “Just as the Hawke–Keating governments told a story of leading Australia’s first big transformation to an open, competitive economy, the Albanese government has an opportunity to speak of the nation’s second big economic transformation to a renewable energy superpower. Everyone loves a good story. Toddlers love being read a bedtime story. Christians thriving on the parables of the New Testament. Other religions with their own tales and fables. The story of Rosa Parks refusing to give up her bus seat for a white man. Some politicians like to impress by reading dozens of mind-numbing statistics from prepared speeches.
“Others use big words when little ones will do. Then there are the storytellers. John Howard gave coherent speeches without referring to notes. Andrew Peacock was entertaining. Julia Gillard delivered her devastating ‘misogyny speech’ in the Parliament with only a few minutes’ preparation. Bob Hawke gave well-structured speeches and was a strong advocate using his experience in industrial relations. But the greatest political storyteller of the modern era was Paul Keating. His warning that unless Australia changed course it would become a banana republic, was not a speech but a short, compelling story spoken on a wall phone in a restaurant kitchen.”
HOLD THE FRONT PAGE
WHAT’S ON TODAY
Eora Nation Country (also known as Sydney)
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External Affairs Minister of India S Jaishankar will speak to the Lowy Institute about India’s relationship with Australia.
Kaurna Country (also known as Adelaide)
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The University of Adelaide’s Gregory F Metha will speak about hydrogen innovation in the Research Tuesdays lecture. You can also catch this one online.
Ngunnawal Country (also known as Canberra)
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Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR Saleumxay Kommasith will speak about Lao-Australian relations at the Lotus Hall, China in the World Building.
Yuggera Country (also known as Brisbane)
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Author Alice Zaslavsky will talk about her new book, The Joy of Better Cooking, at Avid Reader bookshop. You can also catch this one online.
