I don’t know about you, but when politicians – or people cosplaying at the role, like Elon Musk and his lushly haired Argentinian friend Javier Milei (who lists his four English mastiff dogs as his strategists and policy advisers) – start wielding chainsaws I get the urge to run away and bury myself in the sand.
And now Australia’s own Dan Tehan (pictured top) is at it (confusingly, he’s the Opposition’s “emissions-reduction spokesman”, which suggests he’s as confused about his role as his party is when it comes to reading a poll).
Announcing that, within 30 days of winning back Government, the Coalition would scrap the NVES (New Vehicle Efficiency Standard) that is currently successfully helping to push Australians into buying less-polluting vehicles, Tehan trilled:
“We will take a chainsaw to Labor’s ideologically driven, energy restrictive approach to energy,” before neglecting to add that they would also like to take a chainsaw to all the trees, and all the wind farms (oh yes, they’re getting rid of offshore wind zones, too). I’m starting to feel like The Lorax.
“This bill will be the first of many actions to reset the course of energy policy in this country. It will be about, purely and simply, energy abundance, not energy restriction, as is the current approach of the Albanese Labor government.”
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Now, I love it when politicians make ass clowns of themselves, generally, but this is some serious dissembling here. What he’s saying seems to pretend that some people want to restrict our access to energy – particularly the really noxious stuff that releases emissions – for no reason whatsoever. It’s as if climate change doesn’t actually exist, isn’t it?
Oh no, hang on, he’s remembered: “None of this means Australia should not play its part when it comes to emissions reduction or investing in new technologies,” Mr Tehan said. “It simply means we should stop pursuing unrealistic climate targets as the basis of our energy policy.”
The policy is wrapped up in a a proposed act with the nifty title of Scarp Net Zero (Cheaper Energy) Act, which again, does a bit of wilful ignoring by pretending that solar and wind are not already cheaper forms of energy. And that EVs might be a good idea, in emissions terms. But no, back to diesel for everyone! (Shame it’s pushing $3 a litre.)
Honestly, I’m just going to go outside and either smash my solar panels with a hammer, or just scream for a bit, but I’ll just leave you with a wise summary of what’s going on here, first from someone I don’t like to agree with – former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who called the policy, issued by people he used to work very closely with, “ideology and idiocy” that defies economic evidence and will lead to higher electricity prices.
And then from the Australian Climate Council, which I think does a better job of explaining why scraping the NVES will make no one outside of a few car companies that haven’t got their heads around EVs yet happy:
“The Coalition wants to force Australians back into the most polluting cars in the world and increase our dependence on foreign oil. This is a recipe for more insecure and costly energy and transport – it makes no sense at all,” Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie said.
“This brain fart of a policy will send power bills through the roof. Propping up clapped-out coal plants will add hundreds of dollars to household bills.
“The Coalition’s war on renewables is pure ideology. They want every egg in the basket of volatile fossil fuels and a nuclear fantasy. And they want taxpayers to foot the bill.
“They want to remove the only thing putting downward pressure on energy prices: renewable power. Australia is the sunniest and one of the windiest countries in the world. To disrupt the transition to renewable power is reckless and self-defeating, squandering the jobs, investment and prosperity that should be ours.
“In a world that is increasingly volatile, the Coalition’s plan to increase Australia’s reliance on foreign oil and limit Australians’ access to more efficient vehicles would make us more vulnerable to future global shocks. Australians have been flocking to EVs and more efficient vehicles since the New Vehicle Efficiency Standards came in.
“Of course underpinning this is years of climate denial. Australia is also facing down a serious El Nino that will be made more severe and ferocious due to climate change. The Coalition’s plan is to let climate change rip. It’s deadly negligence that would leave Australians facing more fires, floods and heatwaves.
“They have no answer for the millions of Australians whose insurance premiums keep rising with worsening extreme weather risk, or the hundreds of thousands of people who simply can’t access insurance.
“If the Coalition was in power today it would mean a more dangerous future for all Australians. More floods in Taree and Grafton, even more frequent and dangerous fire seasons like Black Summer, and the demise of the Great Barrier Reef. They’ve gone from ‘I don’t hold a hose, mate’ to ‘let’s put fuel on the fire’.’’
The Council also pointed out that electric and hybrid vehicles are already saving almost 15 million litres of petrol and diesel every week. And that EV and hybrid vehicle owners saved about $50 million in fuel price spikes in March, and $62 million in April, with everyday Australians in the outer suburbs benefiting the most from government support to purchase EVs.
I mean sure, facts aren’t as much fun as chainsaws, but I know which one I’d prefer our politicians to deal in.
The post Scrapping the NVES: Coalition goes from ‘I don’t hold a hose mate’ to ‘let’s pour fuel on the fire’ | Opinion appeared first on EV Central.
