Letter of the Week

Letter to the Editor published in The San Francisco Chronicle, 27 September 2018.

Quote of the Week

“Among those things, he said, was a "fair go for those who have a go in this country".

"I think that's what fairness means in this country. It's not about everybody getting the same thing," he said.

"If you put in, you get to take out. And you get to keep more."  

[Australian Prime Minister & Liberal MP for Cook Scott Morrison explaining why only affluent people matter in his version of Australian society, 9News, 6 September 2018]

Yet another Morrison Australia Day argument shot down

This is part of Prime Minister Scott Morrison's weak argument for not changing the
 current date of the national holiday known as Australia Day, which has been something of a movable feast since inception.

Newcastle Herald, 4 October 2018:

"You don't pretend your birthday was on a different day," Prime Minister Scott Morrison passionately reasoned with Sam Armytage on Sunrise last week.

9News, 25 September 2018:

"You can't pretend your birthday isn't your birthday," he said.

"We have a lot more to be proud about than not being proud about. It's a great day to celebrate Australia.

"Australia Day is Australia Day."

It was inevitable that he would be called out on this assertion.

In Qld, Queens Birthday is now in October, used to be in June, but it's actually in April.     Alex McDonnel‏ Oct 3

And what does he think those born on 29th Feb do each year? 

Jacqueline Kane‏  Oct 3

We pretend Jesus was born on 25 December. Hands Off Aunty‏  Oct 3

Morrison is a bit like me. My mouth works before my brain. But then I am not pretending to be prime minister like he is. Dude69‏  Oct 2

BACKGROUND

The Northern Star, 4 October 2018:

BYRON Shire Council's decision to change the date of their Australia Day event from January 26 to the evening before in 2019 has been praised by the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples (Congress).

The decision led to considerable criticism by some, and the Prime Minister Scott Morrison stripped council of its right to hold citizenship ceremonies altogether.

But the congress thanked Byron Shire Council "for its sensitivity toward the feelings by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander citizens who are uncomfortable about the celebration of Australia Day on 26 January each year”.

The congress is the peak representative body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and members include almost 9000 individuals and 180 organisations from around the country.

In a letter to council dated September 25 CEO Gary Oliver said the move was "an important milestone”.

"It is the local government level that is showing the most leadership on this issue and we urge you to hold firm despite the considerable criticism of your decision on this matter.

"For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Australia Day represents oppression and dispossession.....

Scientists, traditional owners & community call on NSW Premier Berejiklian to withdraw the Water NSW Amendment (Warragamba Dam) Bill 2018 from the NSW Parliament, and that plans to raise Warragamba Dam be taken off the table immediately

Water NSW Amendment Bill 2018 - Proposed Inundation of the Blue Mountains National Park by clarencegirl on Scribd

Let's talk about Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's inability to face the truth about renewable energy

This was then Australian Treasurer Scott Morrison in late July 2017 on the subject of the Tesla battery planned to be used as part of the power grid in South Australia.

"By all means have the world's biggest battery, have the world's biggest banana, have the world's biggest prawn like we have on the roadside around the country...30,000 SA households could not get through watching one episode of Australia's Ninja Warrior with this big battery. So let's not pretend it is a solution."

Now when Morrison was mocking the South Australia government of the day he knew full well that the Tesla battery was never intended to supply energy in the same manner as a coal-fired power station – it was always intended to boost supply to keep energy flow from dropping below 49.2Hz and therefore minimise load shedding/brownout events. Media had discussed the issue in some detail.

Tesla boss Elon Musk built the battery facility within 100 days and the 100-megawatt lithium ion battery was switched on late last year to provide reserve capacity from renewable energy for the state’s electricity network.

According to the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) executive general manager of operations Damien Sanford; "Its ability to respond very, very quickly to the different types of conditions that we see on the power system has been very encouraging for us". 

He told ABC News in October 2018 that; AEMO's data shows that it can dispatch power far more rapidly and precisely than conventional thermal power stations and more swiftly and accurately than the market operator thought possible — while also pushing down prices.

"We've been pleasantly surprised and would encourage more of this technology into the grid," Mr Sanford said.

ABC News also reported that; In the first quarter of this year, the cost of FCAS [Frequency Control Ancillary Services] fell by nearly $33 million, or 57 per cent, according to AEMO — in large part because of the introduction of the Tesla big battery.

The Tesla battery proved it worth in September 2018 when South Australia was isolated from the main grid by a lightening strike explosion in another state but despite this situation Morrison's 30,000 televisions were unaffected.

Oi, Scott Morrison! Hands off, it's not your ABC

Kerry O’Brien takes us through ABC’s tumultuous week following revelations of political interference, and the importance of reporting without fear or favour. #TheProjectTV pic.twitter.com/XorAJdgrCi

— The Project (@theprojecttv) September 30, 2018

Next time a Liberal or Nationals minister ot backbencher starts to boast about how they are reducing national greenhouse gas emissions, look at this graph

It doesn't take a genuis level IQ to identify the point at which the Abbott and then Turnbull federal governments (with Scott Morrison as a cabinet minister in both) began to dismantle climate change policies.

Quarterly Update of Australia’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory: March 2018 Incorporating emissions from the NEM up to June 2018 - Australia’s National Greenhouse Accounts, released September 2018. excerpt:

1. National emissions levels are inclusive of all sectors of the economy, including Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF)…..

The year to March 2018 annual change saw national greenhouse gas emissions rise by 1.3 per cent.