January 2008 Archives

My few regular readers know I'm concerned with the effects of climate change. I have little doubt in the science that points to the detrimental effects of loading the atmosphere with carbon.

Despite the current wet spell, Sydney's dams are only 60% full and half the state is still drought effected. We'll have to wait and see if the current La Nina phenomenon lasts long enough to further improve the situation, but trends show that the dryer El Nino periods are getting longer and consequently, the countryside dryer.

Why then, you may well ask, haven't I subscribed to "green" electricity and installation of water tanks? Both are within my means. The answer is that I'm reluctant to make it easier for the authorities to shirk their responsibilities for the provision of basic infrastructure and the imposition of charges to tackle climate change.

Consumers who take the laudable action of paying extra for green power or pay hundreds (or thousands) of dollars to install water tanks deserve praise, but their effects are puny in the larger scheme of things and make it easier for the government to abrogate their responsibilities.

The effects of climate change are felt by everyone and the mitigation costs should also be borne by the community at large. More so than the provision of small subsidies as happens now.

Electricity authorities should have fixed and mandated levels of green energy generation, with the extra costs met by all consumers. Why should the concerned few pay extra and still wear the effects of coal fired power?

Water tanks installed on private property should be no different from the public dams, water mains, pumping stations and (dare I say it) desalination plants. They should be paid for and maintained by the water authorities from the revenues collected from water consumers. Water taken from the tanks should be metered or calculated by some other mechanism, and added to the householders water bill.

I'm sure that many more households would be willing to install tanks if an equitable scheme was devised, perhaps saving the authorities the huge sums needed to expand existing facilities. Not very altruistic sentiments, I know, but I'm willing to donate land for water storage and pay increased costs for power if the conditions are acceptable.

Kevin Rudd's comments that we should increase savings may be the first indication that the government is rethinking the tax give-aways planned for this year's budget.

With inflation on the rise and the Reserve Bank poised to increase interest rates, now is not the right time to provide a tax break.

Given that the planned tax cuts are a result of the previous government trying to buy its way back into office, and the mood of the electorate was for the revenues to be used to restore services that were neglected by Howard and Co, I think the government would be forgiven if they reneged on at least a portion of the cuts.

Alternatively, they could cut the tax rates while simultaneously increasing the percentage of compulsory superannuation contributions.

Rudd is keeping faith with the voters by staying true to his election promises, no matter how outlandish. That faith will be tested if the promised cuts are provided only to be removed by the Reserve Bank.

We're back!

We spent the festive season with extended family in the Northern Rivers district of New South Wales. The drought was well and truly broken while we were there ... think torrential rain, wild surf and local flooding.

On our return, and as luck would have it, we beat the flooding of the Pacific Highway by a couple of hours.

It's been eight years since I've done the drive north from Sydney to Queensland. The highway has improved with some nice stretches of dual carriageway, but a lot of it is still the two lane goat track remembered from decades ago. I suppose that's why the authorities have chosen to regularly punctuate the inferior bits with fixed speed cameras.

The cameras are effective in making this driver aware of his speed, but you have to wonder their overall effectiveness when Victoria scored the worst road toll between Christmas and New Year. This is the state littered with cameras, but unlike other states, they don't warn drivers of their location, a move that various road safety "know it alls" have been advocating for years.

When you consider that Victoria has arguably the best roads and the strictest road laws in the country, their woeful Christmas road toll shows that punitive measures aimed at drivers don't always have the desired results.

And one other thing ... Would the NSW authorities please get some consistency when allocating speed limits on dual carriageways. Various sections of the Pacific Highway were posted at either 100 or 110 km/h with no noticeable difference in layout or facilities. These can lead to nasty consequences during periods of double demerits.