[KevO]

The Government and Opposition today voted against a Greens motion in the Senate calling on the Government to plan for peak oil.
Senator Christine Milne:

Australia needs to kick the oil addiction before peak oil kicks it for us by driving prices sky high.

"We must start planning now to bring on the sustainable alternatives of renewably-powered electric vehicles, both public and private, and tackle the climate and peak oil crises together.

"The International Energy Agency whistleblower's report is shocking but unsurprising to those of us who have watched the refusal by Australian governments to acknowledge the peak oil threat."

Notice of motion

I move that the Senate:

a) Notes that:

i. Neither the former Howard government nor the Rudd government implemented the first recommendation of the 2007 Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee report into Australia’s future oil supply and alternative transport fuels, namely, that Geoscience Australia, ABARE and Treasury reassess both the official estimates of future oil supply and the 'early peak' arguments and report to the Government on the probabilities and risks involved, comparing early mitigation scenarios with business as usual.

ii. Of the nine recommendations of that Report, only recommendation 6 relating to incentives for fuel efficient vehicles have even been considered let alone addressed.

iii. In the week beginning 8 November 2009, the International Energy Agency issued its annual 'World Energy Outlook', predicting that global oil demand is forecast to rise from 85m barrels per day 2008 to 105m barrels per day in 2030.

iv. A whistleblower at the International Energy Agency has claimed "it has been deliberately underplaying a looming shortage for fear of triggering panic buying" and that a "senior official claims the US has played an influential role in encouraging the watchdog to underplay the rate of decline from existing oil fields while overplaying the chances of finding new reserves".

(b) Calls on the government to immediately develop a national plan to respond to the challenge of peak oil and Australia’s dependence on imported foreign oil.

The Motion was defeated 31:6 with the five Greens Senators supporting the motion and presumably South Australian independent Senator Nick Xenophon as the sixth supporting vote.

The major parties are not just ignorant of 'peak oil'. They are, with clarity of purpose, voting against any attempt to respond or even investigate further.
http://www.energybulletin.net/node/50794

[SeaGypsy]

Yep, sounds about right.
Ozzie, Ozzie, Ozzie; Oi Oi Oi.
Oz is the richest of the great sheeple nations.
We are not about to do anything to spoil our spoils.
As close as any pollies here are prepared to get is towing the NWO line on carbon trading with never a mention that our very ability to carbonise the apmosphere and oceans is coming to a close.
We are chock a block full of NG and coal. These will do. Screw oil. We haven't been independent in oil for more than a decade. Who cares? We have mega uranium and gold and rare earth minerals. We are right next door to Chindia.
Ozzie Ozzie Ozzie Bah Bah Bahhhh!

[mos6507]

I find it ironic that the land that brought us both Mad Max on one extreme and Permaculture on the other would act this way.

[KevO]

and Skippy

[dorlomin]

Oz is the richest of the great sheeple nations.

<snip>
Ozzie Ozzie Ozzie Bah Bah Bahhhh!

What can I say.... woolie thinking.

[rangerone314]

I find it ironic that the land that brought us both Mad Max on one extreme and Permaculture on the other would act this way.

It also brought us Rupert Murdock, who may end up helping bring us Mad Max.

Eventually their senate's decision will boomerang on them.

[nocar]

I think it is great that they had a vote on a Peak Oil plan. Has any other national legislature even had a motion like that?

[cipi604]

Australian Senate: Peak Oil motion defeated 31:6 = Australian Senate Defeated Peak Oil

Victory for Australia!

Next big thing please! PO just got solved.

[Dreamtwister]

Eventually their senate's decision will boomerang on them.

Good one!

[sparky]

.

Here in OZ the manure has hit the fan ... big time

the Labor government has introduced a carbon trading scheme to be voted by Parliament
they have the numbers in the lower house but are a bit tight in the senate
basically they need the Greens or the conservative alliance
( who got decimated at the last election )
The Greens don't want to play ball ,their vision of progress is sack clothes and ashes
though to be fair they are the only one to advocate the common sense approach to
restrict coal exports ( Australia is the biggest coal exporter in the world )
no other party want even to mention that !!

the new conservative leader , a silver haired ex merchant banker , was all for it
beside being AGW , he had no wish to see labor calling an early election on their law proposal being rejected for the second time ,as would be their prerogative .

the first passage of the bill was defeated so easily , it led one to be suspicious that it was the intent
to avoid a whupping at the poll , again , Mr Turnbull engaged in some negotiation on amendment to the text ,diluting it to a large degree .

The party room exploded , large section of the party is totally against it ,
either because they are deniers , skeptics or are horrified by a rather misbegotten law who would
turn out to be a massive new tax enforced by a large Carbon police administration
it has plenty of exemptions , all temporary .
manufacturers would make more money closing down their plants and " selling " their Co2 credit

Now it come to the liberal party tearing itself apart , normally Labor would love it but all this agitation has put the spotlight on the proposed law , showing it to be a dog

It seems that the whole exercise was for the prime minister to swan around Copenhagen ,
he love foreign summits and the heady flash of the world media .

the story is still unfolding

.

[katkinkate]

I find it ironic that the land that brought us both Mad Max on one extreme and Permaculture on the other would act this way.

Me too.

[sparky]

.

Well , Oz is a big country with broad thinking people

on carbon trading , from the BBC and well worth pondering

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/science/nature/8343529.stm


.

[lowem]

Australian Senate: Peak Oil motion defeated 31:6 = Australian Senate Defeated Peak Oil

Victory for Australia!

Ah yes, whaddayaknow.
Peak Oil is defeated by a simple vote.

Next up for voting :
Global Warming, World Hunger and Water Shortages.

[sparky]

.

Iowen , don't confuse an issue with the politics exploitation around it ,
In Australian politics getting the numbers is the first proof of competence

The Greens were just striking a pose , 31-6 is not even close
energy policy is a cross between Santa Claus and the tooth fairy
anyway they oppose the proposed carbon trading scheme as not tough enough
with an official projected rise in electricity price of 30%


.

[lowem]

.
anyway they oppose the proposed carbon trading scheme as not tough enough
with an official projected rise in electricity price of 30% .

Now I'm not sure about the Ozzie pain tolerance or whether a 30% electricity price rise is or isn't tough enough, but what about EB's article which had this to say :

The major parties are not just ignorant of 'peak oil'. They are, with clarity of purpose, voting against any attempt to respond or even investigate further.

[sparky]

.

Peak oil is poison for the electorate ,

I have a suspicion that the global warming ( beside its own issues )
is a godsend reason to try to cut down energy consumption
or at least to " mental prepare " the good folks to do some throttling of their energy use

It's not a plot , more like an happy convergence

..."Saving the planet for the children " sound so much better than " stop pigging yourself "

The rub , as we see here , is that the electors have a deep unwillingness to restrict their lifestyle

http://www.smh.com.au/national/home-tru ... -jyva.html


.

[kiwichick]

australia will vote down ETS legislation

liberal party votes in tony abbott climate denier as new leader

[sparky]

.

No tears on the would be ETS law ,
its a dog and got further butchered with concession and temporary exemptions

The Green party is right ( for once ) much better for Oz to cut its coal export
or at least to tax it
but none of the major parties has the cojionnes to do it

.

[Cabrone]

Looks like Australia is stepping up to challenge Canada over the 'worst polluter' world crown.

Funny really being as Australia looks to be directly in the climate firing line.

Wonder how this will play out with the Australian electorate?

Defeat of carbon trading bill delivers blow to government that had hoped to set an example at international climate change talks in Copenhagen

Link

[kiwichick]

the govt has said it will reintroduce the legislation in february

the opposition has been taken over by extreme right wingers

the opposition has stated they won't have a ets or a carbon tax in their climate change policy

ie no policy