Radio silence

Glenn Dunstan writes: Re. “Radio Nowhere: ABC launches Double J, but is anyone listening?” The article states: “Budde says this is similar overseas, although the AM band has already been switched off in Europe”.

Perhaps Paul Budde knows something that European radio regulators and the International Telecommunications Union don’t, as the AM band is alive and very well in Europe. There are dozens of stations operating on the medium wave broadcast band (aka the “AM band”) across Europe and the UK. There are no plans to “switch it off”.

Abbott on the G20 stage

John Bushell writes: Re. “IPCC puts more heat on Abbott’s anti-science climate policies” (yesterday). Tony Abbott has really wedged himself on repealing the carbon tax. This November Australia will host the G20 Meeting in Brisbane and a critical agenda item will be “energy sustainability”.

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde has said carbon taxes and removing fossil fuel subsidies are “intelligent” ways to reallocate resources to benefit the environment.

Lord Deben (Conservative Party peer) has lashed out at the Abbott government’s climate policies as being, “so unintellectual as to be unacceptable; I mean, it is just amazing”. Bill Hare, visiting scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, has advised that Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions need to drop by 50% by 2030.

Tony Abbott can either be credible in the Australian marginal electorates or on the G20 stage — but not both.