OT: Current Affairs and Politics

[Gronk]

Its not means tested. Every merkin is getting $75 a quarter.

The fair dinkum cash relief is means tested, as it should be.

Financial support: rebates, grants and incentives | NSW Climate and Energy Action

www.energy.nsw.gov.au

 

[strider]

The fair dinkum cash relief is means tested, as it should be.

Financial support: rebates, grants and incentives | NSW Climate and Energy Action

www.energy.nsw.gov.au

FFS. You wasted a gronksplain on me with the wrong thing.

 

[strider]

It's pointless. Wtf is $5 going to do when inflation is 3.5%
Stop spinning it like it's a great incentive. It simple isn't. It's a fools trick. Your bias but you're not a fool

More spin than a washing machine.

 

[strider]

Are you f**king serious? Albosleazy pushed the Voice referendum at EVERY opportunity. You may have the memory of a goldfish but the electorate does'nt.

He wasted 18 months of his term on the Voice n jet setting the globe. And he wonders why he is losing popularity polls to the least likeable person in the world.

 

[Suitman]

It's pointless. Wtf is $5 going to do when inflation is 3.5%
Stop spinning it like it's a great incentive. It simple isn't. It's a fools trick.

It most certainly is. A pathetic attempt at a bribe from Albo.
The petrol tax reduction by Dutton is an equally stupid, desperate, bribe to voters.
Honestly, what has happened to politics in this country?

 

[crocodile]

We are getting shaken down.

Dow was off over 700 points last night. Bumpy day on Monday. Surely the orange man will see one day soon that there was good reason to water down tariffs in the first place. He doesn’t seem to fully understand the dictum of comparative advantage and opportunity cost even though David Ricardo had it worked out two centuries ago.

 

[crocodile]

It most certainly is. A pathetic attempt at a bribe from Albo.
The petrol tax reduction by Dutton is an equally stupid, desperate, bribe to voters.
Honestly, what has happened to politics in this country?

Reduction in fuel excise should see reductions in transport costs not just Mum and Dad filling the tank.

 

[RustedonEel]

Reduction in fuel excise should see reductions in transport costs not just Mum and Dad filling the tank.

Not that we'll see that in any reduction in food costs etc. Sorry mate, I'm just a pessimist/realist.

 

[Suitman]

Reduction in fuel excise should see reductions in transport costs not just Mum and Dad filling the tank.

You said "should".
It won't happen. No transport company will reduce their costs due to the excise reduction. In fact, they will increase it because......
Transport costs keep going up because 3 times a year, tolls on motorways increase.
The next one is this week. Starts 1st of April. The M2 electronic signs have been notifying all us suckers about this for a week or more.
Albo's $4.96 a week tax cut would be wiped out within a week just with Transurban's toll increases over the next 12 months.
These politicians think we are stupid.
Sadly, many people are.
Both parties claim they are doing their best to reduce the cost-of-living expenses for the average Australian.
They are doing nothing of the sort. All they are doing is trying to buy votes.

 

[the phantom menace]

Are you f**king serious? Albosleazy pushed the Voice referendum at EVERY opportunity. You may have the memory of a goldfish but the electorate does'nt.

Ok then... My memory was that was roundly criticised by people for not pushing the YES case hard enough at any opportunity - but it might be the circles I move in and the media I choose to read.

 

[bazza]

If we knew now that Howard would have f**ked up housing in 1999 with his policies I doubt he would have been elected.

or you would have bought as much property as you could convince someone to lend you money for...

 

[JokerEel]

or you would have bought as much property as you could convince someone to lend you money for...

Good point

 

[hindy111]

You said "should".
It won't happen. No transport company will reduce their costs due to the excise reduction. In fact, they will increase it because......
Transport costs keep going up because 3 times a year, tolls on motorways increase.
The next one is this week. Starts 1st of April. The M2 electronic signs have been notifying all us suckers about this for a week or more.
Albo's $4.96 a week tax cut would be wiped out within a week just with Transurban's toll increases over the next 12 months.
These politicians think we are stupid.
Sadly, many people are.
Both parties claim they are doing their best to reduce the cost-of-living expenses for the average Australian.
They are doing nothing of the sort. All they are doing is trying to buy votes.

Yep. Companies won't reduce costs cause they save on fuel. The manager in charge will just get themselves a better annual bonus as they show how they've reduced costs in the budget. It's how businesses work. They are not sitting their going great less lower costs for consumers

 

[hindy111]

Ok then... My memory was that was roundly criticised by people for not pushing the YES case hard enough at any opportunity - but it might be the circles I move in and the media I choose to read.

I do like you but you and Gronk are way out of your depths in the politics thread. To bias to see alternate views.

 

[the phantom menace]

I do like you but you and Gronk are way out of your depths in the politics thread. To bias to see alternate views.

I do like you too, and I can see the other views... I just happen not to agree with them, and am just putting forward my views. I very much respect everyone's right to have different views about all things in life etc, as it's what's good about living in a free democracy (one of the free-est in the world these days).

But in politics, I'll happily admit I'm not really a swinging voter - or if I am, I'd swing between Labor, Independents/Teals, Greens etc (and not toward the LNP, Latham, Clive, Hanson crew). Sure Labor do some wrong things, but few where the opposition has provided a better plan or contribution.

 

[crocodile]

Yep. Companies won't reduce costs cause they save on fuel. The manager in charge will just get themselves a better annual bonus as they show how they've reduced costs in the budget. It's how businesses work. They are not sitting their going great less lower costs for consumers

Not true. Companies are always looking to increase market share over their opponents. If they can create an advantage via a price reduction that doesn't impact the bottom line they will most certainly do so.

 

[bazza]

Yep. Companies won't reduce costs cause they save on fuel. The manager in charge will just get themselves a better annual bonus as they show how they've reduced costs in the budget. It's how businesses work. They are not sitting their going great less lower costs for consumers

would need to have actual competition to bring down prices

 

[bazza]

Not true. Companies are always looking to increase market share over their opponents. If they can create an advantage via a price reduction that doesn't impact the bottom line they will most certainly do so.

does depend on compeition
Also might be a temporary discount rather than lowering the headline price

 

[Gronk]

Dutton has some questions to answer with his gas proposal. Unsure why he is light on the details, unless it is policy on the run.

===========================

Under the proposal by the opposition, Queensland’s gas producers would be forced to provide 50 to 100 additional petajoules to Australia’s east coast market – known as a gas reservation – in a bid to bring down the average price from $14 a gigajoule to $10 a gigajoule by the end of the year.

Most of the gas produced on the east coast is exported overseas with enough given to supply gas-fired power generation and industry, commercial and residential users in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Additional gas produced forms part of the “spot market”, which can be redirected to the east coast if there’s high seasonal demand or sold overseas.

The Albanese government introduced a domestic price cap of $12 a gigajoule in 2023 along with other mechanisms to push major gas producers to voluntarily offer surplus gas supplies to the domestic market before sending it overseas.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s latest gas inquiry report in March found average retail gas prices had moderated from $19.84 a gigajoule in 2023 to $14.51 in the second half of 2024.

Rod Sims, the former ACCC chair, said the Coalition’s promise to further lower gas prices by reserving more Queensland gas for the east coast was a great concept but questions needed answering.

“I think it would be fantastic to get lower prices for gas. It would help industry. It would help our electricity market. The question is, how do you do it?” he said.

“Are you going to force [gas producers] to produce more? I don’t know the answer to that. How are you going to transport the gas? And is $10 [a gigajoule] low enough?”

Sims, who headed the competition watchdog for 11 years until 2022, said gas producers were happy to produce uncontracted gas to the east coast before in the face of shortages but the opposition’s proposal would take it a step further.

“This is not the security guarantee. This is, ‘we want you to oversupply the market so prices will fall’. Different proposition,” Sims said.

“Gas producers want high prices, not low prices, but they’re not going to do anything to lower prices. So, how do you force them to do it?

“How do you get [producers] to do what’s not in their economic interest to do?”

The Coalition’s campaign spokesperson, James Paterson, said he hoped gas producers would work with a Coalition government, if elected, to offer more gas supply to east coast Australians but flagged potential penalties or fines if they did not cooperate.

“If that’s what’s necessary to bring this gas into the market, we’ll do it,” he said, without adding further details.

The Grattan Institute’s head of climate and energy, Tony Wood, warned the policy could undermine, or even collapse, the spot market, leading to dire unintended consequences.

He said the flexibility of the spot market was important to maintain, with the ACCC warning of potential gas shortages Victoria in the coming year.

“When things go wrong in the electricity market, coal fired power stations break down, there’s not enough wind or solar or something, that gas is the one that’s used,” he said.

“If you’ve got an active [spot] market, you can divert contracts … into the domestic market at short notice. But if you haven’t got that, then there’s no gas to supply.

“The idea that this gas reservation – more gas for more Australians – is politically and superficially attractive, is only relevant if the process works.”

Bowen says Dutton ‘making it up as he goes’ on gas plan as experts question lack of detail

Opposition leader promises to release secret modelling within days as former ACCC chair urges Coalition to explain how they would lower prices

www.theguardian.com

 

[Gronk]

hmmm