[LINK] The Government's Climate Change plan

[David]

On 2021-10-27 23:30, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote:

> Bringing about a major change to the way a nation does business, creates, distributes and utilises energy and drastically reduces its output of greenhouse gases requires more than just money. Where the people who will do all this are coming from is not covered in the so called plan. Immigration? It looks like the rest of the world will be doing more than little old Australia. The risk is that our talented engineers will be attracted by countries who will be taking a much more realistic and urgent approach.

Have you ever noticed how the "sophistry and spin" approach of the current Government is full of big numbers and communicated with intense energy, but it never relates them to actual requirements or begins to sound like an integrated plan which has been comprehensively thought through?  (Perhaps I should say "rarely" or someone will find a contrary case.)

The "plan" quoted by Bernard and again here contains one fine example:

> This is complemented by the Modern Manufacturing Strategy, National Hydrogen Strategy and other initiatives. Collectively, these measures are helping build the skilled workforce Australia will need to capture the opportunities new technologies present in domestic and global markets. For example, the Australian and Tasmanian governments are working together on the $16.14 million Energising Tasmania Program. The program is developing a skilled workforce equipped with the electrical and engineering expertise needed for the Battery of the Nation initiative, MarinusLink interconnector and ongoing growth of Tasmania’s renewable energy sector.

Lots of big, impressive words and I'm sure the "Modern Manufacturing Strategy, National Hydrogen Strategy and other initiatives" do actually exist somewhere.  But I find it hard to believe AU$16.14 million will do anything much for "the Australian and Tasmanian governments [...] Energising Tasmania Program" - see https://www.skills.tas.gov.au/providers/rto/funding_programs_for_endorsed_rtos/energising_tasmania_training_fund   They're just blinding the public with big numbers IMO.

Call me a cynic, but privately run "registered training organisations" were not a roaring success in NSW either if I remember correctly. 

By way of comparison, Title Deeds in the Sydney Morning Herald last weekend reported "Windermere" in Hunter's Hill was sold to "X, wife of pub baron Y" recently for "close to $20 million".  And if that's a little pricey for you, there's a nice little cottage at Milton on the NSW South Coast for only $4.5 million.

And don't get me started on University funding, ABC funding... 

David Lochrin