Industry split on Labor energy plan

LABOR’S ENERGY UNCERTAINTY

Labor’s revamped National Energy Guarantee and flagged $15 billion energy investment have received a mixed responses, with some business groups criticising the injection as potentially destablising for the grid and the economy, while others approved the scheme as a “sensible” effort to lower power prices and circumvent parliament’s energy limbo. 

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the Investor Group on Climate Change has warned that Labor’s plans for $5 billion on transmission lines and $10 billion for the Clean Energy Finance Corporation could create uncertainty for investors, and has joined a coalition of industry groups calling on parliament to pass the NEG in order to create policy confidence. Meanwhile, the CFMEU ($) and battery company Sonnen have welcomed the transition package for coal communities and storage, respectively.

VIC IN DAN’S HANDS

A last minute poll has put Victoria’s Labor government on track for a comfortable win at tomorrow’s state election, with the ALP’s two-party preferred vote jumping from 52-46 to 54-46 since October.

According to The Age, the uComms/ReachTEL poll on November 21 puts several Coalition seats in danger if changes in primary votes remain uniform. The poll, which was conducted amongst 1239 voters and has a margin of error of 3%, follows two heated leaders’ debates between Premier Daniel Andrews and Opposition Leader Matthew Guy, as well as the release of final costings that put Labor at $42.48 billion, doubling the state debt, and the Coalition at $17.6 billion.

PODCAST TAKES GOLD

Investigative journalist Hedley Thomas and composer/producer Slade Gibson have taken out the 2018 Gold Walkley Award for The Australian’s podcast series “The Teacher’s Pet”.

The Walkleys announced that Thomas, who reported on the 1982 disappearance of Sydney woman Lyn Dawson throughout 14 episodes, now joins cartoonist Ron Tandberg as the only person to win two Gold Walkleys. The other major Walkley, the Outstanding Contribution to Journalism award, went to Sean Dorney, who worked as ABC’s Papua New Guinea and Pacific correspondent, for more than 40 years.

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THEY REALLY SAID THAT?

The actual decision about Adani is not going to affect Australian emissions.

Bill Shorten

The Opposition Leader announces he would ignore yet another call to commit to block a mine expected to generate 4.7 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

THIS WEEK FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES

Australia: Wealthy but Still Second Rate

2018 Australia Holiday Gift Guide by The New York Times

China Rules: The Land That Failed to Fail

Interested in exploring China’s place in the world? Join our new Facebook group, “Examining China’s Reach With The New York Times.”

CRIKEY QUICKIE: THE BEST OF YESTERDAY

Let’s break down Scott Morrison’s confusing maths on migrants
Jason Murphy

“The way migration is defined means its measurement can lead you to weird and surprising results. For example, the government’s ‘migration program’ includes 186,515 visas in this financial year. But many of the visas go to people already in Australia. This is ‘migration’ in a legal sense, not in a ‘moving to Australia’ sense.

Where do Victorian micro-parties and independents stand on Aboriginal treaty?
Massimo Amerena

“Andrews has said a re-elected Labor government will continue the treaty process with hopes that the proposed Aboriginal Representative Body will be established by July 2019. Opposition leader Matthew Guy has made it clear that a Coalition government will seek to end the treaty process. But where do the micro-parties and independents — who might end up holding the balance of power in the upper house — stand on this issue?”

How Tasmania came to its pioneering new trans rights law
Kishor Napier-Raman

“Nine amendments to the state’s Births Deaths and Marriages Act, designed to offer greater protections to transgender and intersex people, passed despite government opposition. The measures were proposed by Labor and the Greens, and Liberal speaker Sue Hickey dramatically crossed the floor to support them.”

READ ALL ABOUT IT

‘We were so close’: Education Minister shelves sexual assault taskforce for universities

Brexit one step closer as EU and UK agree to terms of future relationship

Police Association of Tasmania and Liberals opposed to Greens’ pill testing push ($)

Law Council criticises Federal Government’s anti-terror citizenship laws, arguing overreach

Easier to opt out: Scripture forms to include non-religious options

Greens election candidate stood down following rape complaint

Deloitte, EY, PwC’s multiple ‘independent’ roles at the big banks ($)

Rebecca Gibney to reprise famous dramatic role in Halifax: Retribution

THE COMMENTARIAT

Morrison, take heed: nationalist posturing comes back to bite you — Waleed Aly (Sydney Morning Herald): “The logic of globalisation is that once it ensnares you, it tends to inflict pain if you try to escape it. So, President Donald Trump can impose tariffs on aluminium and steel if he likes, but it immediately carries the threat that Americans will lose five jobs for every one created. His more recent decision to impose tariffs on Chinese products will make life $US127 more expensive per week for the average American family, across a wide range of products from soft-drink to houses.”

Step up? We’ve stepped aside by failing to sign migration pact ($) — Travers McLeod (The Australian): “The [Global Compact on Migrat­ion] doesn’t require Australia to change its policy but it’s our entry ticket to much larger ­regional exchanges on key objectives to building safer, more orderly and regular migration pathways. These exchanges are critical, as objectives 11 and 23 of the GCM outline, to managing borders in an integrated, secure and co-ordinated manner.”

Injecting room is not ideal, but it’s far better than the alternative — Sam Biondo (The Age): “Wednesday’s announcement by the state opposition that it will close the North Richmond Medically Supervised Injecting Room within its first week in government disregards national and international evidence. Further, it dismisses the pain of the many families who, over decades of stagnation in harm-reduction policy, have lost loved ones to preventable overdose. It also disregards the daily impact of drug use on the residents and traders in North Richmond.”

HOLD THE FRONT PAGE

WHAT’S ON TODAY

Sydney

• DFAT Consular Services will launch the 2017-18 Consular State of Play, a snapshot of the consular services provided to Australians overseas, with Foreign Minister Marise Payne to attend.

• ASIC chair James Shipton will continue giving evidence at the banking royal commission’s final hearing on policy.

• The inaugural First Nations Media Awards will be presented, along with the launch of indigiTUBE, on the final day of First Nations Media National Conference CONVERGE.

• Anne C Richard, who served as US Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration in the Obama Administration (2012-17), will present “The rise and fall of US diplomacy on refugees and migrants: Inside recent history” at the Kaldor Centre Conference 2018.

Melbourne

• President of India Ram Nath Kovind will meet Victoria’s Governor Linda Dessau and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.

• Premier Daniel Andrews and Opposition Leader Matthew Guy will spend their final day campaigning before tomorrow’s state election.

• The Australian Indigenous Governance Awards 2018 will be hosted by Reconciliation Australia, the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute and the BHP Foundation.

• The National Workplace Sexual Harassment Inquiry will hold a consultation with Melbourne’s LGBTIQ community.

• Paris Hilton will launch of her latest fragrance Platinum Rush.

Brisbane

• Queensland taxi license owners are set to discuss a possible lawsuit against the state government for allowing ride-sharing companies. Federal MP Bob Katter and Qld MP Robbie Katter, along with lawyers, will speak to media ahead the meeting.

Perth

• Minister for Prevention of Family Violence Simone McGurk and WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson will speak at an annual domestic violence memorial rally and silent march.

• The Duke of York Prince Andrew will attend UWA to discuss the university’s involvement with the Square Kilometre Array radioastronomy project, then go to Murdoch University for a Pitch@Palace startup pitching event.

• Opening night of the 2018 National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters’ National Conference, to include the 2018 NEMBC Awards and run until Sunday.

Hobart

• Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman will give a State of the State address at a CEDA function.

Apollo Bay, Victoria

• Greenpeace, students, and surfers will take part in a flotilla protest against oil drilling the Great Australian Bight.

Port Augusta, SA

• A 200 metre high chimney stack at the former Northern Power Station site, formerly Port Augusta’s best known landmark, will be felled weather permitting.

Australia

• BlueScope will hold their AGM.