ENERGY CONFUSION

That confusion abounds over Australia’s energy future has been evident for a while, but following yesterday’s report from the Australian Energy Market Operator, which warned of a “heightened risk” of blackouts if the national grid is not improved, the situation reached fever pitch with claim and counter-claim filling today’s papers.

After Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told Parliament his government wanted AGL’s Liddel power station to remain operating for “at least” another five years beyond its scheduled 2022 closure, AGL chief executive Andy Vesey took to Twitter to reiterate that AGL was “getting out of coal” and that “keeping old coal plants open won’t deliver the reliable, affordable energy our customers need”.

Senator and former resources minister Matt Canavan slammed the energy giants as “the biggest hypocrites walking around Australia“, telling the ABC:

“They are the largest coal-fired power producers in Australia. On the one hand to say they’re getting out of coal and on the other to be making millions of dollars on the back of it is what you call hypocrisy and it should be called out.” 

The Australian Financial Review reports that Turnbull has since contacted Vesey, who has clarified that AGL would be willing to sell Liddell to another “responsible party”. 

The same piece describes the AEMO report as “scathing” towards energy policy in Australia, quoting the following excerpt:

“We note that absent to changes, we face an increasing and unacceptable risk that there will be insufficient capability in the system to meet National Electricity Market reliability standards. In turn, this exposes consumers to a heightened risk of involuntary and unacceptable load shedding.”

WAGES TO STOP BEING SO LOWE

Australia’s workforce might finally be about to get some relief from its record low wage growth. Reserve Bank of Australia governor Philip Lowe has insisted that Australia’s economy is picking up, and that improved wages won’t be far away. Speaking to the RBA board at a dinner in Brisbane, Lowe said: “It is likely that as our economy strengthens and the demand for labour picks up, growth in wages will pick up too. Even at the moment, we see some evidence … that in those pockets where the demand for labour is strong, wages are increasing a bit more quickly than they have for some time.”

He did, however concede that globalisation and economic uncertainty would keep wages low “for a while yet”.

Yesterday the RBA decided to keep interest rates on hold. 

AUSTRALIA’S WORLD CUP IN THE BALANCE

Australia’s bid to reach the 2018 World Cup suffered a blow, after results (both the Socceroos’ own and elsewhere) went against them. In a game coach Ange Postecoglou labeled as the most lopsided he’d ever seen, the Socceroos dominated possession but could only scrape past minnows Thailand 2 – 1, while Saudi Arabia’s victory over Japan (to whom Australia lost in their last fixture) pushed Australia into third place, meaning Australia will need to play two home and away ties (the first against Syria in October) to reach Russia. 

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Yarra councillors vote to allow Tigers flag to fly over Richmond Town Hall

Dick Smith to campaign against alleged ABC bias

One Nation preference flow puts Queensland Labor in lead

WHAT’S ON TODAY

Perth: WA Premier Mark McGowan will give the opening address at the Africa Down Under mining conference.

Melbourne:  The High Court will hear day two of the case against the marriage equality survey. Yesterday the court heard the argument that the issue of same-sex marriage was neither “urgent” nor “unforeseen”, and therefore the Finance Minister should not be able to authorise $122 million for it.

A Victorian Supreme Court judge will rule on whether or not to approve the $70 million in compensation the Australian government has offered to the 1923 current and former detainees of Manus Island who are part of a class action lawsuit over mistreatment. About 70% of the detainees are said to approve of the payment, but the remainder think the amount is too low.

Canberra: Barnaby Joyce will address the Minerals Week conference. 

The House of Representatives will consider the Higher Education Support Legislation Amendment, which would cut government funding to tertiary institutions and raise student fees. Labor and the Greens oppose the cuts. 

Meanwhile, the Senate will debate the Australian Citizenship Legislation Amendment, which would tighten requirements for Australian citizenship — which Fairfax today reports is doomed without Senator Nick Xenophon’s support. The Senate will also consider the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Welfare Reform) Bill, which would, among other things, introduce drug and alcohol testing for welfare recipients at three trial sites around Australia. It would also make it harder for job seekers to claim welfare benefits and has attracted the ire of welfare groups and doctors. 

Tiernan Brady and Janine Middleton will address the National Press Club on “Same Sex Marriage — The Yes Case” 

Hobart: Reserve Bank of Australia head of economic analysis Alex Heath will speak at the Economic Society of Australia, Tasmania.

THE COMMENTARIAT

Same-sex marriage: Why we love our gay neighbours, but say they shouldn’t marry — Archbishop of Sydney Kanishka Raffel (Australian Financial Review, $): “Indeed, it is precisely because of the ‘public’ character of marriage that marriages are registered with the government, that ‘de facto’ marriages and same-sex partnerships are treated at law as though they were marriages, (the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney supported the Commonwealth legislative reforms of 2007 that removed inequalities in the treatment of same-sex relationships) and that the government can intervene to provide for the welfare of children in cases where marriages are under stress or have broken down. Marriage serves the welfare of families, children and the wider society and is properly a matter for the whole community.”

A libertarian conservative case for voting ‘yes’ to SSM — Janet Albrechtsen (The Australian, $): “Voting No because same-sex marriage activists in politics, the media and beyond have overplayed their hand is not a position of principle. It’s a reaction rather than an answer to the broader question of whether gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to marry.”

Chances of second Korean War between 20 and 25 per cent — Kevin Rudd (The Age): “The Chinese ultimately believe the US is going to have to live with North Korea as a nuclear weapons state. China’s object in the meantime is to convince the US and the wider international community that it is doing whatever it can to prevent that. The Chinese military also believe that a North Korean nuclear capability is a nine-out-of-10 problem for America, and a one-out-of-10 problem for China.”

TODAY IN TRUMP

Donald Trump will talk to Malcolm Turnbull this morning about possible responses to escalating tensions with North Korea. Part of Trump’s plan is to arm South Korea and Japan, in keeping with his campaign rhetoric to encourage states to solve their own disputes without American intervention.

In addition to his “fire and fury” threat to the Asian nation, Trump has also threatened to cut off trade with all nations that do business with North Korea. That would not be possible without crippling the American economy (*cough* China *cough*), but he does have some options.

And he’s busy with not one but two catastrophic weather events domestically, with Hurricane Irma due to make landfall in Florida this weekend while Texas still reels from the effects of Tropical Storm Harvey.

CRIKEY QUICKIE: THE BEST OF YESTERDAY

Assange is a feminist-baiting techbro douchebag (and I’m done with his bullshit) — Asher Wolf: “Look, you may ask why on earth I’d care what some silly man stuck in an Ecuadorean embassy has to say about women’s rights, but once upon a time I was a rather strident supporter of WikiLeaks — and much of my support ended because of Assange’s behaviour. Anyway, I’m now taking the hour between work and picking up my kid from school to write a giant “fuck you” to Assange douche-bro shit-baggery.”

Criticising Assange for his admittedly shit takes on feminism misses the point — Helen Razer: “Since March 2017, the latest WikiLeaks project has offered the record of an ongoing war. Traditional media organisations have not demonstrated great curiosity for this matter, and the last time they had broad interest in WikiLeaks was with the sensational Collateral Murder video. Press focus on WikiLeaks, no matter how outsized and troubling its leaks, has closed in on one (mal)function of the organisation. The dumb shit that its founder tweets or mumbles between posting links to the certified documents of ongoing horror. Revelations about the nature of power unfold on WikiLeaks regularly. There is just one revelation, however, that regularly gains broad attention, and that, told over and again, is that Julian Assange is a sexist creep.”

Media Files: Jones v Barry: “It’s no surprise that 2GB broadcaster Alan Jones is not a big fan of Media Watch — he’s a regular target, most famously in its coverage of the cash for comment scandals. But that’s not enough to stop him watching. While the program was still on air last night, Jones responded to a segment about his spat with 2GB’s owner Fairfax last week by calling host Paul Barry a “boring, pompous, left-wing joke”. 

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