ACF response to Deputy Prime Minister's speech at mining lobby event

The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) is deeply concerned that the Deputy Prime Minister’s extraordinary attack on public interest environment groups represents a disturbing disregard for civil society, democratic discourse and the public good at the top of the Turnbull Government.

On behest of the powerful mining lobby, the Turnbull Government is currently considering severely restricting the advocacy activities of public interest organisations that attract tax deductibility status on donations amid a wider set of anti-democratic proposals to limit the work of civil society groups.

ACF Chief Executive, Kelly O’Shanassy, said it was ironic that Mr Joyce’s speech had been made at an event held by the Minerals Council of Australia in Parliament House, an organisation that consistently sought to lobby and influence politicians into loosening safeguards against destructive and polluting development.

Read the Australian Conservation Foundation story - “ACF response to Deputy Prime Minister's speech at mining lobby event.”

Power prices: Australia has a gold-plated electricity grid that consumers can't afford

The Australian energy system stands as a monument to vested interests.

It is a system controlled by owners who are protected from market forces and state governments content to milk consumers for all they're worth and more — because the rules allow it.

The value of the Australian power grid is
not that short of that of the US,
and that is a big problem.

"The operators have spent a lot of money on building their networks to potentially provide excessive reliability," Craig Memery from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre says.

"That system has been bigger and more costly and, on top of that, the interest rate that is applied over the long term to that investment which consumers pay has been particularly high.”

Two-thirds of the grid operators' income comes from earnings guaranteed by the regulator linked to the value of their networks.

Read the ABC News story by Phillip Lasker - “Power prices: Australia has a gold-plated electricity grid that consumers can't afford.”