David Javelin: Good morning and welcome to Inciters. Today we’ll be looking at the change in Liberal policy on net zero. Many people are having trouble understanding exactly what their new policy is, including a large number of the shadow cabinet, so we hoped to have an interview with the architect and leader, David Littleproud, but his spokesman said that he was unable to do interviews until he could control the smirk on his face. Instead we have a spokesperson from the Liberal Party, Lee King. Good morning, Lee.
King: Good morning, David, great to be here.
Javelin: Now, let’s start with the reasons for the change.
King: Before you accuse us of misogyny, it’s not that Sussan isn’t a great person, but we felt that we should follow David because he had such a clear vision and…
Javelin: No, I meant the change in policy on net zero, Sussan Ley is still leading the Liberal Party, isn’t she?
King: Um, yes, can I check that… Ah, yes, she is. Um, net zero… Well, it’s clear to everyone that Labor’s net zero policy isn’t working and…
Javelin: Sorry to interrupt, but how is it Labor’s policy? I mean, you were the ones who implemented it in government and you took it to the last election.
King: Ah yes, but we never really wanted to support it. We only supported it because they did and we were concerned that it could become an election issue if we didn’t take it off the table.
Javelin: So you don’t see climate change as a big issue?
King: Of course it’s a big issue. It’s one of the main reasons that we’re losing seats to the independents, so we clearly have to be seen to be doing something but to be clear, just because we’re doing something doesn’t meant that we should be happy to do anything. And that’s why we don’t think that we should do anything… Or rather anything that pushes costs up because, as we all know there’s a cost of living crisis…
Javelin: So what does this mean in practical terms?
King: It means that we’ll bring down the cost of energy because cost is more important than emissions, but we’ll still bring down emissions if we can.
Javelin: How will you bring down the cost?
King: By getting more energy into the system.
Javelin: But isn’t that what the government’s doing by bringing in more renewable energy.
King: Yes, but renewable energy is costly whereas coal and gas are cheap. I mean, we can just dig up our own coal from our backyard, but the sun’s a long way away, so getting solar costs more.
Javelin: Don’t the latest figures show that renewables are only costing about half that of gas and coal.
King: That’s because we don’t have enough gas and coal in the system. It’s the old supply and demand…
Javelin: But won’t adding more gas and coal push up their prices because of increased demand?
King: No.
Javelin: Why not?
King: Look, are you going to ask questions or make speeches?
Javelin: A lot of coal-fired power stations have closed or are closing. Won’t it be a long term project to build new ones?
King: That’s why we need a plan for nuclear.
Javelin: I don’t follow. Won’t nuclear take even longer?
King: Yes, but it means that I don’t have to answer any difficult questions about how long it’ll take to build new fossil fuel energy systems.
Javelin: Aren’t you worried that this will make your party look like a bunch of climate deniers?
King: Well, that’s just a tag that’s thrown around by woke lefties who aren’t able to debate without just resorting to abuse.
Javelin: But popular opinion…
King: Look we’re not a populist party. Labor and the Greens can go around pandering to the public but we’re prepared to stand on our principles and argue for the things which we believe.
Javelin: And they are?
King: What are?
Javelin: The things you believe…
King: Well, we’re still in the process of working them out. You can’t expect us to just decide things like that, this far out from an election.
Javelin: So you’re not worried about people thinking that you have too many climate deniers in your party?
King: We don’t believe that there’s such a thing as climate denial. We believe in science and if there’s one thing we know about science is that it’s never settled, so the whole notion of accusing someone of being a climate change denier just because they dare to question the scientists who, you’ll have to admit, haven’t got everything right. If someone says we should wait and see if the world is destroyed before rushing to action, then that’s their point of view and names such as climate denier or Gina’s gigolo don’t help.
Javelin: And will you stick with Paris or will you be abandoning that along with your targets?
King: Look, it’s really quite clear. We intend to stick with Paris but there’s no need for emissions targets because our main aim is price and reliability, but if we can do that and meet the targets which we won’t have, then well and good, but if we can’t, we’ll it doesn’t matter because we didn’t set the targets, that was Labor and we can’t be held responsible for Labor’s targets. In any case, we’re responsible for less than one percent of the world’s emissions… or was a little more than one percent? Whatever, one percent is so small that you needn’t worry about it? It’s like when Labor tries to make wage underpayment illegal when some of the people concerned are responsible for less than one percent of the wage theft in this country, it’s hardly worth doing anything because there’ll still be a lot going on.
Javelin: Thanks for your time.
King: A pleasure.
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Sussan Ley has said that the Liberal pledge is to “Put downward pressure on electricity prices and the only way we can do that is by putting more energy into the grid, precisely what Labor is not doing”
It was put to her that from 2026 Labor were directing electricity distributors to allocate three hours each day of surplus solar energy to all consumers at no cost.
She was asked, would not free electricity for three hours each day put downward pressure on electricity prices nationwide?
She patiently explained that it’s all about the quality of the electricity and that free solar electricity was not of the same quality as that available through coal and gas and that Labor’s electricity in the solar sharing scheme was free and she reminded the gathered journalists that “there is no such thing as a free lunch”.
And the media nodded as one and agreed that coalition electricity would always deliver better quality energy than that of Labor.
Oh my giddy Aunt! Send her to do a 1st year Electrical Apprentice course at TAFE. She might learn something about electricity and not sprout a total load of lnp BS.
We are insulted by the disgraceful idiocy of conservatives in politics, with blatant ignorance, lying propaganda, donor driven filthy selfishness and unscientific declarations of stupidity. To describe Littleprong as a dunce and dill is practically praise, for the little nodule defies credulity. Barnaby Pavement- Pisshead remains an object of derision, not a figure of pride. There’s more brains in a can of Pal. As for LLEEYYY, she needs a better colouring in science book. What a pot of brown droppings. Dishonesty and servility to donors is Un -Australian.
Seems the LNP think weasel words can fuel their increasingly uphill battle. Nah, Oz doesn’t do weasel words, and years ago it brought in dung beetles to deal with bullshit.
It’s all over for the LNP, dead and buried.
Just watching Sarah Ferguson interview Susssssssan Ley, and got to enjoy a quiet dismemberment of Ley- climate change, then the topic turning to electricity and gas.
Ley seems ok but wobbly: but MUST stop fibbing, even at harmeless questions.
Lying is a form of psychopathy.
Could the headline “BREAKING: LIBERALS CHANGE LEADERS” by considered one that no longer constitutes a news story? Particularly given events in Victoria and, potentially, NSW this week. Of course, Sussan is expected to last out the week… at this stage.
Victorian Liberals are going for a change of leadership having finally found a policiy that may get them over the line in next year’s state election.
Focus groups have responded positively to the Liberal pledge to repeal Treaty legislation and withdraw funding from Gellung Warl, which is the Aboriginal treaty administrative body and who are projected to receive over $70 million annually.
Whatever it Takes!
Yes, the Victorian Liberals have elected Jess Wilson.
With state government debt reaching about $100,000 per family and the ALP having held office for 26 of the past 30 years, any opposition should be a walk up start to win the next election.
But Battin was most unappealing.
The state government is complacent, tired and incompetent.
They deserve serious opposition
Rossleigh,
“Could the headline “BREAKING: LIBERALS CHANGE LEADERS””
I saw that and first thing that popped into mind was Rocky and Bullwinkle, somewhat paraphrased:
“Hey Australia, watch me pull a new Liberal Leader out of my arse.”
“AGAIN?!”
GL: Jeff Kennett says he is very hopeful. Aren’t you?-:)