That’s a furphy too. Greens Senator Bob Brown recently noted just one example of the economic cost of our government’s one-eyed fixation on old technology: in 1989 Australia produced about the same number of solar electric panels as Japan. Now, Japan supplies 50% of world demand while we supply only one percent.
And to think we once had dreams of being ‘the clever country’.
PS The NSW Liberals appear to have lifted our solution of a solar thermal power station at Moree. However their allocated budget of $40 million would power only a small proportion of Sydney’s power needs. Still, it’s an example of how a principled minor party with good ideas can influence the major players.
Picture: A 1.3km long coal train near Mayfield in Newcastle heads towards the coal loader.