Energy Efficiency

Recently (in the SMH) Barry O’Farrell (NSW Premier) said his government will back the ethanol mandate, under which oil companies must ensure 6% of their fuel sold is ethanol, because it provides regional jobs, fuel security and environmental benefits.

Quite rightly, the oil companies oppose the decision of an ethanol mandate, yet Mr O’Farrell said ‘they can go hang; this government, the last government and the Parliament has supported that ethanol mandate’. But on what grounds?

I could agree with the regional jobs, but they would number no more than 30 to 40 people. As to fuel security, well Australia is extremely vulnerable and almost totally dependent on overseas oil, but why use it to grow crops that – after expensive energy intensive manufacturing process and additional transports costs – can at best can only go to 10% (otherwise millions of cars will be adversely affected)?

Put simply … you start with 100 units of energy (oil, electricity etc) and end up with about 50 units of – ethanol – energy.

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Ms Julia Gillard (millionairesss prime minister of Ostralia), when asked just prior to signing additional loan documentation to continue borrowings in the order of abour $100 million a day, said the European nations deserved to be suffering credit downgrades; she said they had it coming because they avoided making tough financial decisions.

Sarkozy (who has been posturing alongside Merkel) had the old ‘rabbit in the head-lights’ look when Standard & Poor’s stripped France (as well as Austria) of AAA ratings and further downgraded Italy, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus, Malta, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia.  There have been moves internationally to have the number of letters in the alphabet  increased, but as to whether this is political move; finanical commentators don’t believe so, they said they will wait to see what happens and then report on it.

As Ms Gillard settled more comfortably into the 1.5 seat (no doubt enjoying not being on the defensive), and her her brittle laugh echoed around the bank loans manager’s outer office, she said there is always a price to be paid by governments that had put off reforms, spent more money than they had and borrowed like there was no tomorrow (well at least not in their electrol term). She warmed up to the task and continued by suggesting that for too many years, European governments have deferred the nation-building, productivity-enhancing reforms which Australia has made the foundation of our dynamic and resilient economy …

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In 2011, South Australia drew more than 20 % of its electricity from wind turbines; while in Victoria the Baillieu government all but gutted the industry by requiring two-kilometre set-backs from houses,
ruling out new turbines in vast tracts of the state and the NSW O’Farrell government considers whether to follow Victoria or South Australia. Why?

The British Acoustics Bulletin has just published what is now the 10th independent review of the evidence on wind farms causing annoyance and ill health in people. And for the 10th time it has emphasised that
annoyance has far more to do with social and psychological factors in those complaining than any direct effect from sound or inaudible infrasound emanating from wind turbines.

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Both the Australian federal government and Queensland state government have proven they are unable and incapable of implementing affordable housing as the numer of homeless Australian continues to grow.

The Salvation Army indicated that it will need to feed 2.2 million Australians at Christmas … all in an environment of massive earnings from royalties for the sale of our diminishing resources by these same tow governments; and the solution according to ‘the Honourable’ Karen Struthers (Minister for Community Services, Housing and Women, in a December 21st 2011 press release) … Two local bunnies MPs Peter Lawlor and Peta Kaye Croft are all for the rights of caravan park dwellers.

As we see more and more people unable to pay their electricity bills or being kicked out of their homes, it begs the question, are we turning into a state of the USA and is this the start of Aussie Trailer Trash, displaced and marginalized people unable to sink roots and no possibility to become part of a community?

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The Queensland Labor government is doing everything it can to help CSG establish itself in Queensland, and with all those chemicals entering the water supply and foods having to be sourced further afield from contaminated places like China, it looks like we are in even more trouble as a report suggests Queensland has the fewest hospital beds per head of population in Australia.

The Australian Medical Association released its public hospital analysis, revealing Queensland has 2.4 beds per 1000 people – lower than the national average of 2.6; 10,911 public hospital beds in 2009/10 – up 106 from the previous year; about a tenth of what doctors believed were needed.

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