The Australian “Energy Market,” as Explained by Comedians

“I thought we had gas and electricity coming out of our ears.” But no.

Two-and-half-minutes of pungent fun on the challenges and recent blackouts and what went wrong in the Australian energy “market” for natural gas and electricity, in a country that is a huge exporter of natural gas, by comedians Clarke and Dawe.

And the more serious side of Australia. “Ponzi finance schemes are struck firmly in reverse gear.” Read… Commodities Bust Crushes Incomes, House Prices, & Rents in Western Australia

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  19 comments for “The Australian “Energy Market,” as Explained by Comedians

  1. Petunia says:

    This is great. They could substitute energy policy for healthcare and we could use it here, now.

    • TJ Martin says:

      ….. .. or alternatively California / Detroit water supply , Jails , K-12 Schools , Colleges etc – et al – ad nauseam and this bit sums it up in a nutshell [ emphasis on the word ‘ nut ‘ ] The only thing worse than government policy and control is privatized ‘ policy ‘ and control who’s sole agenda is the filling of their own back pockets to the detriment of all and everyone else .

      Oh but that last line in regards to current government policy .. ” try and imagine there is some ” .. jeeze that hurts …. hitting a little too close to home ………

  2. Jungle Jim says:

    This stuff gives me gas !

  3. OutLookingIn says:

    Classic Clarke and Dawe on the European debt crisis.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5QwKEwo4Bc

  4. Mark out west says:

    Australians pay 15% more for their own gas than the Japanese do after we have liquified and shipped it.
    We are some of the stupidest people on the planet ?

    • robt says:

      Ontario Canada is a candidate, with their green energy policy for electricity. Consumer prices for hydro have increased so much the government is running scared and is ‘reducing’ prices because the Premier is running 9% favorable rating in the polls.
      Meanwhile, electricity is bulk-offloaded to the States at less than cost due to overcapacity.

    • TJ Martin says:

      Oh I dunno about that . Considering who and what we ( US ) just elected methinks we’ve got y’all beat hands down when it comes to stupidest by a country mile/kilometer .. or more

  5. Lee says:

    Read all about it:

    http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/victoria-warned-of-potential-unprecedented-number-of-power-shortages-posthazelwood-20170322-gv46bk.html

    “As revealed by Fairfax Media last September, Hazelwood will be switched off by the end of the month. The first of the plant’s eight turbines will be turned off this Friday, with a complete shut down by next Wednesday.”

  6. Mary says:

    Maddening how willing people are to fall for the argument that privatizing public property and institutions is the answer to all our ills. We have no right to snicker at Australia. We are speeding to privatize public education and we’re about to give our healthcare system back to those gentle souls who run the insurance industry.

    • mean chicken says:

      A solar power project in my neck of the woods will consume 11 acres of land for each home serviced.

      I guess each home rents the equipment and land or the extra cost gets rolled into my bill so I can subsidize it for them?

  7. John Doyle says:

    Do we have the politicians we deserve? Or is it worse than that. It seems mind blowing incompetence is the order of the day, and right across just about every country!

    Clarke and Dawe are pretty good at pointing out the unending political stupidity. They would have little trouble getting enough to make a daily show and not just weekly as now.

  8. hidflect says:

    Clake and Dawe have been doing this for 25 years. There’s an amazing amount of material in business and govt. policy.

  9. Lee says:

    There is also another aspect of the energy market to considered which is the increase in demand from population growth.

    In the year to September (2016) Victoria’s population increased by 157,000 or 2.1%.

    Another way to look at that number is that increase in population is larger than the total decrease in population for the ‘Top Ten declining Counties’ in the USA (Jul 15 – Jul 16).

    And most of those people are moving to Melbourne which strains the roads, schools, public transport, and puts pressure on housing prices and rents.

    Rental vacancy rates for units in Melbourne is around 1.7%.

  10. JB says:

    With more people globally using home solar power and supposedly feeding their excess capacity back into the grid and the implementation of energy saving devices such as LED lighting it would seem the price would decline .

    • Lee says:

      In 2010 when I put my panels the price of electrcity was 15 cents per kWh and the quarterly supply chage was $50.

      Today I am paying around 40 cents per unit and the supply charge is now quoted on a daily basis of around A$1.34.

      How about that for price increases over the years!

  11. R Davis says:

    The Current Federal Liberal Government is proposing to spend $2 BILLION to increase the Snowy hydro electric scheme.
    $2 BILLION will not be enough.
    And I wonder if this scheme of expansion is not .. a repayment to international bodies of monies borrowed ..
    Therefore would be a sign that Australia cannot repay it’s loans ?

    It would be more constructive / viable / cheaper / practical / a more abundant delivery system of FREE & RENEWABLE energy / from a JOBS CREATION perspective MORE LUCRATIVE ..
    For the Federal & State governments to support & subsidies a program of installing SOLAR & BATTERY STORAGE SYSTEMS that feed FREE ELECTRICITY BACK INTO THE GRID .. on to homes & businesses.
    Free energy .. resold at market prices.
    Energy to power traffic lights / street lights / sky scrapers / government offices & facilities / HELL .. we could even sell MASSIVE kilowatts to Transurban the toll road owners.
    It is definitely a better & cheaper alternative & guarantees that supply will be constant & continuous.
    Poor Australia.

  12. Paul says:

    Hi Wolf,

    Just an update for you and your readers, John Clarke has passed away whilst bush walking. He was 68. No doubt he will be missed by many followers of his style of humour.

Comments are closed.