ROTTEN NEG

The final design report for the National Energy Guarantee before the crucial August 10 COAG meeting has cemented fears the plan would do almost nothing in terms of emissions reductions, but would help cut an average household’s power bills by $50 in its first year of operation.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the document produced by the Energy Security Board (ESB), and sent to state and territory governments this week, has found that 97% of the NEG’s emission target — i.e. 26% reduction of 2005 levels by 2030 — would be met before the policy starts in 2021. The ESB found that power prices are expected to drop across the decade with or without the policy, but would see an average of about $150 in annual savings “directly attributable” to the NEG.

Unsurprisingly, interpretations of the report have varied significantly between the SMH, The Australian ($) and RenewEconomy, which was bizarrely denied by the ESB an acknowledgement of the document’s existence.

PRISON BREAK: WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Nine inmates are currently understood to be on the run outside the coastal city of Geraldton, Western Australia, after three others were recaptured by police following a jailbreak at Greenough Regional Prison.

The ABC reports that 12 men escaped yesterday afternoon, following a “disturbance” at the jail involving smoke, and WA Police have urged members of the public to lock all doors, windows and keep car doors locked during the ongoing hunt. A representative from the WA Prison Officers Union has blamed “unsustainable” staffing and an overcrowded prison population.

TOUR DE PAIN

Bale-throwing farmers have interrupted the 16th stage of the Tour de France, staging a protest that resulted in riders being hit by tear gas from police.

The ABC reports that four-time champion Chris Froome was one of several riders to have their eyes treated, after tear gas aimed at the protesters ended up blowing into their faces and causing a temporary halt to the race with 187 kilometres to go. French media reports that the group of farmers were protesting against reductions to the European Union funding.

[free_worm]

THEY REALLY SAID THAT?

Australia’s best policy minds are working really hard to design this policy that does nothing.

Simon Holmes à Court

The energy transition specialist finishes breaking down the National Energy Guarantee for The Drum.

CRIKEY QUICKIE: THE BEST OF YESTERDAY

Riot racket: what does it cost for police to protect far-right trolls?Charlie Lewis

“Alt-right attention seeker Lauren Southern had mixed results lobbing hollow bombs of content-free provocation on the streets of Melbourne over the weekend. Asking people whether she should be executed was greeted with indifference or incomprehension. But her talk with fellow alt-right podcaster Stefan Molyneux attracted 100 protesters who clashed with police and were met with pepper spray.”

Inflation could soon have the galahs squawkingBernard Keane and Glenn Dyer

“The June quarter Consumer Price Index data is out tomorrow. Market forecasts are for a quarter-on-quarter rise of 0.5% (compared to 0.4% in the March quarter) for an annual rise of between 2% and 2.2%, with the underlying figures of 0.5%/1.9% annual unchanged. Those sort of numbers would be exactly what the Reserve Bank expects; as it said in the minutes of its July board meeting, ‘progress towards a lower unemployment rate and an inflation rate closer to the midpoint of the target range was likely to be gradual’.” 

What’s the difference between Stephen Colbert and Jordan Peterson? Colbert wears glasses.Helen Razer

“If you’d asked a campaigning Hillary Clinton about the state of the world, she’d tell you it’s never been better. If you ask Jordan Peterson today, he’ll tell you it’s never been worse. If you ask me, I’d say no one should be taking advice about anything from these two wretched nozzlers. I’d say that this tepid politician or that undistinguished scholar can offer us no useful guide to anything beyond their extreme self-interest.”

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Charges laid as Riverland school stabbing victim is flown to Adelaide in a serious condition

Perth, south-west WA brace for damaging winds, rain as severe weather warning issued

Richmond residents inundated WorkSafe with complaints over unsafe conditions at crane site ($)

El Nino weather event warning for end of 2018 ($)

Boy abused, mistreated in adult jail as part of Andrews government crackdown

Ex Penrith Panthers player Matt Adamson claims developer linked to disgraced MP owes him $700k ($)

Liberals and Labor splash the cash in Braddon by-election ($)

Embattled Labor MP Emma Husar takes personal leave after ‘threatening messages’

Top watchdog seeks out new whistleblowers

Laos dam collapse leaves several dead, hundreds missing after flood hits villages

Israel shoots down Syrian fighter jet that it says entered airspace

Greece wildfires: dozens dead as holiday resort devastated

WHAT’S ON TODAY

Canberra

  • Federal President of the AMA Dr Tony Bartone will speak on ‘Health Reform: Improving the Patient Journey’ at the National Press Club.

  • Record producer Mark Opitz will speak at an ‘In Conversation’ event at the ANU School of Music.

Brisbane

  • Day two of Queensland budget estimates is set to hear from Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron Dick, Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Dr Anthony Lynham, and Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner.

  • Acting Mayor Adrian Schrinner and Federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities Paul Fletcher will address a Brisbane Metro industry briefing, with more than 200 business leaders from local and international companies expected to attend.

  • CEO of Greenpeace Australia-Pacific David Ritter will hold a Brisbane launch for this book, The Coal Truth: The fight to stop Adani, defeat the big polluters and reclaim our democracy, with a panel discussion with Editor of Guardian Australia Lenore Taylor, That Sugar Film actor and director Damon Gameau, and QUT Professor of Public Health and Councillor at the Climate Council Dr Hilary Bambrick.

Adelaide

  • The Murray-Darling Basin Authority Royal Commission will continue public hearings.

  • Southeast residents will demonstrate outside parliament to push for a fracking ban in the area to become law.

  • Day two of the three-day National Suicide Prevention Conference.

Melbourne

  • Public hearings will continue for the upper house privileges committee’s inquiry into Victorian Labor’s systematic misuse of parliamentary allowances to partially fund its successful 2014 election campaign.

  • Day one of the Australian Institute of Families’ three-day conference, to bring together 600 delegates including leading international and national social policy experts.

Sydney

  • NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Opposition Leader Luke Foley will speak on day two of the NSW Farmers’ three-day annual conference.

  • The Cities for Us Summit will host representatives from local government, the development industry and community advocacy groups.

  • Head of the UNSW School of Aviation Professor Gabriel Lodewijks and Deputy Head of School of Chemistry Professor Pall Thordarson will launch the UNSW’s first Professorial Inaugural Lecture series.

Perth

  • Greens Leader Richard Di Natale, WA Senator Jordon Steele-John, candidate for Perth Caroline Perks and candidate for Fremantle Dorinda Cox will deliver a final pitch to voters ahead of the Super Saturday byelections.

  • The Health Consumers’ Council will hold digital health expo ‘Art of the Possible’.

Hobart

  • Local Government Minister Peter Gutwein will help launch the Local Government Association of Tasmania’s three day annual conference.

Burnie, Tasmania

  • The Bob Brown Foundation will hold protests over the Liberal Party’s plan to allow 4WD vehicles access to heritage Indigenous sites on the state’s west coast, announced as part of the Braddon electorate that faces a byelection on Saturday.

THE COMMENTARIAT

Trump alone can’t dismantle US leadership of the free world ($) — John Lee (The Australian): “Yesterday, Julie Bishop and Marise Payne met their US counterparts in Palo Alto, California, for the annual AUSMIN talks between foreign and defence ministers from the two countries. It took place a week after Donald Trump’s disastrous and ill-conceived meeting with Vladimir Putin when the leader of the free world expressed greater confidence in the word of the Russian President than the evidence accumulated by his own intelligence apparatuses — only to farcically claim to have misspoken, to try to limit the damage done. And then at the start of this week there were threats of war exchanged between Iranian President Hasan Rowhani and Trump.”

Tennant Creek and ‘African gangs’ expose the hypocrisy of white Australia — Jack Latimore (The Guardian): “Peter Dutton’s comments following the tragic death of Laa Chol, a young woman of Sudanese descent, in Melbourne on Sunday morning were not only opportunistic and inaccurate, they also made a mockery of his leader’s tour of Tennant Creek by ultimately undermining the sincerity of the prime minister’s concern for the plight of vulnerable Aboriginal families.”

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