Mildura deputy mayor joins climate-driven challenge to Nationals in Mallee

The deputy mayor of Mildura, Jason Modica, will become the second independent candidate to challenge the National party in the seat of Mallee – running on the issues of water, climate change and people power.

 The deputy mayor of Mildura, Jason Modica, will become
 the second independent candidate to challenge the
National party in the seat of Mallee.

Known as “Jake the Tradie”, Modica served on Mildura council with Ali Cupper, who unexpectedly won the state seat of Mildura last year as an independent, a seat held by the Nationals on a 8% margin.

Modica enters the field after the sitting Nationals MP, Andrew Broad, a vocal supporter of traditional marriage, announced his retirement following New Idea allegations he met up with a younger woman in Hong Kong via a sugar daddy dating website.

Read the story from The Guardian by Gabrielle Chan - “Mildura deputy mayor joins climate-driven challenge to Nationals in Mallee.”

Meet our new deputy PM: Michael McCormack is just another Nationals climate sceptic

Given he is our new deputy prime minister, it is not surprising that “who is Michael McCormack?” pieces are now popping up everywhere. And yet, they glide over his worst offence: he appears to be just another National Party climate change denier.

New National Party Leader, Michael
McCormack - another climate change sceptic.

In some respects, McCormack is a departure from previous leaders of the Nationals like John McEwen, Doug Anthony or Tim Fischer, who were themselves farmers. McCormack, who today was appointed infrastructure and transport minister, is already being lined up in Question Time as a “fake farmer”. Political opponents like Labor’s Stephen Jones joked that the price tag was probably still on his Akubra, and that the only muster he’d ever done was to muster the numbers to knock off Barnaby Joyce.

Read The Monthly story by Paddy Maning - “Meet our new deputy PM: Michael McCormack is just another Nationals climate sceptic.”

Nationals call on Federal Government to phase out renewable energy subsidies

The National Party has used its federal conference in Canberra to call on the Federal Government to eliminate subsidies for renewable energy.

The Windy Hill wind farm near Ravenshoe

The plan involves freezing subsidies at their current levels for 12 months, then phasing them out entirely over five years.

Former Nationals senator Ron Boswell spoke passionately in favour of the motion before it passed.

"Please don't reject this, because the message that it sends out is the National Party is pro-renewable energy, and it isn't," he told members.

But some Nationals spoke against the motion and argued that wind and solar farms had created jobs and boosted economies in regional areas.

Member for Mallee Andrew Broad cautioned his colleagues against appearing entirely opposed to renewables.

Read the ABC News story by regional affairs reporter, Lucy Barbour - “Nationals call on Federal Government to phase out renewable energy subsidies."

Barnaby was 'at home' for his bar-room meet and greet

Barnaby Joyce at tonight's "meet and greet" at
Shepparton's Aussie Hotel. About 100 people
were in the public bar to meet the deputy PM.

Barnaby Joyce appeared “at home” at what seemed like spontaneous meet and greet in the main bar tonight at Shepparton’s Aussie Hotel.

The deputy Prime Minister and leader of the National Party appeared relaxed as he moved around the room talking with about 100 people and the media in what was surely his final formal function for the day.

Among other things, Mr Joyce spent some time looking at the Shepparton campus of La Trobe University where he talked with the head of the campus, Sue Nalder, who told him about the new agro-science course soon to be introduced.

In concluding his informal five-minute address, the Minister for Agriculture said, “Walk humbly, work hard, keep our eye on the prize, a better standard of living, a better quality of life, keep the services coming to your area, so that the idea of moving to Shepparton is as logical as moving to Mosman.”

“On the balance of things,” he said, “I’d rather move to Shepparton.

Questions about climate change were directed privately to Mr Joyce as there was no public QandA session and he immediately pointed to the fact the Australia had signed up to the Paris agreement in which the world’s nations had agreed to keep global warming to an increase of less the two degrees Celsius and as low as 1.5 degrees if possible.

Although he was quick to point to the fact that his electorate of New England was already exporting renewable energy, he noted that it was unlikely he, or his government, would agree with any of the pointed questions about how Australia could instigate serious mitigation solutions.

Among those at tonight’s “politics at the pub” were the new Member of Murray, Damian Drum; the Committee for Shepparton chair, Robert Priestly,  the committee’s CEO, Sam Birrell; the Editor of Shepparton’s Country News, Geoffrey Adams; Shepparton Chamber of Commerce board member, Carls Hainsworth; the unsuccessful Nationals candidate in the State election for the seat of Shepparton, Greg Barr, who is now controls the administration section of the city police station in Welsford St; and at least three of the City of Greater Shepparton’s new councillors, Chris Hazelman, Fern Summer and the newly elected deputy mayor, Shelley Sutton.

Obviously, the “meet and greet” event was not spontaneous, but several Nationals supporters said before the deputy PM arrived that they had only heard about the visit “by chance”.

People in the wrong place with the wrong values and ideals - 'I weep'

(I weep, metaphorically, when people who doubt and question climate science are elected and subsequently appointed to influential positions within government – here is another example of people desperately clinging to 20^th Century values and ideas being given the responsibility of influencing decisions of the 21^st Century that will have a legacy well into the 22^nd Century, and even longer. It is obvious that most people have serious trouble thinking beyond the lives of their grandchildren, and some are not able, even to consider life that far advanced – Robert McLean.)

Liberal member for Hughes Craig Kelly with Tony Abbott
during question time in 2015. Kelly has been appointed
chairman of the environment and energy committee.

The  Liberal MP Craig Kelly has been appointed chairman of the backbench environment and energy committee, with National party MP Kevin Hogan as secretary.

The committee will provide feedback on legislation and policies relating to the environment and energy, including to the minister, Josh Frydenberg

Kelly served on the committee during the last parliament and previously invited climate sceptics to “balance” a presentation given by top climate scientists.

He has been writing on the issue for a number of years, noting that the convicts found it hotter in the 1700s.

“But I wonder if any of these people actually knew that Sydney’s so-called ‘record hot day’ on Tuesday 8th Jan this year [2013], that had them screaming “Global Warming”, was actually COOLER than the weather experienced by the convicts of the First Fleet in Sydney way back in the summer of 1790/91?” Kelly wrote.

He wrote on his Facebook page during the election campaign: “And with freezing temperatures and even snow forecast for Melbourne’s outskirts and in parts of New South Wales, I hope many of the warmists haven’t sold their coats.”

Read The Guardian story - “Climate sceptic MP appointed chair of environment and energy committee.”

National Party candidate to speak at next Beneath the Wisteria

Greg Barr will be the guest at Saturday’s (May 31) Beneath the Wisteria.

Greg Barr.

The National Party candidate for the Shepparton electorate has been asked to talk about his and his party’s views on climate change.

Mr Barr, who will represent the National Party at the November State elections, is familiar with the concerns of the area as he was office manager for retiring Shepparton MP, Jeanette Powell.

Saturday’s Beneath the Wisteria, at the northern end of Shepparton's Maude St Mall, starts at the new time of 11am and is free.

Some public seating is available but those planning to attend this free event are advised to bring a folding chair.

The gathering, which is simply about providing people with reliable information, is aimed at helping people to respond appropriately to climate change.