‘Rioting is not one of the three Rs': Liberals say protesting students should give up ice creams

Liberal MPs have attacked the "rioting" students who took a day off school to protest the government's climate change policies, with one challenging them to swear off ice-cream to lower emissions.

Students hold placards during Friday's climate protest in Melbourne.CREDIT:

An estimated 15,000 students marched in cities and regional towns around the country on Friday - despite warnings they could face disciplinary action for not attending school.

Liberal senator James McGrath identified a spelling error in a placard held by one student at the protest, circling it in a photograph he posted on his Facebook page. The sign, which targeted Prime Minister Scott Morrison directly, misspelt "jealous" as “jelous".

Read the story from The Age by Michael Koziol - “‘Rioting is not one of the three Rs': Liberals say protesting students should give up ice creams.”

(Those critical of the protesting students just don’t get it - Robert McLean)

Competing solar and fast rail schemes economically wasteful: report

The $1.24 billion rooftop solar scheme promised by the Andrews government has been attacked by a leading public policy think tank as a waste of taxpayers' money.

A Labor promise to subsidise rooftop solar panels for
650,000 homes has been slammed as economically wasteful.CREDIT:

The Grattan Institute has urged Labor to abandon its key re-election pledge to subsidise rooftop solar installation for an estimated 650,000 Victorian homes, arguing that the bold scheme could force up power prices for those not fortunate enough to buy into it.

The government has committed to pay half the cost of rooftop solar installation for Victorian households on a combined income of less than $180,000, saving them up to $2225 on installation costs and about $890 a year on power bills.

But the Grattan Institute says that the scheme is “a return to the bad old days” of excessive solar subsidies, which will benefit only a minority of Victorians while leaving taxpayers worse off overall.

Read the story from The Age by Adam Carey - “Competing solar and fast rail schemes economically wasteful: report.”