Greg Jericho:

(1) Ted O’Brien, not surprisingly, is talking up the need for “baseload power”. This is a phrase often used, and almost always abused.

Baseload power is a term made up to explain why coal-fired power stations run flat out for 24 hours. It is not about being able to meet peak energy use, rather baseload is about having a level of power being generated all the time – even when it is not needed. This is why governments came up with “off peak” electricity – because electricity was being generated in the middle of the night when it was not needed, nor being used.

What we need is dispatchable power – the ability to supply electricity when it is needed, not have it going flat out all the time.

Renewable energy is highly dispatchable.

(2) Ted O’Brien once again says the coalition’s nuclear power policy will be 44% cheaper than Labor’s comparable policy.

Well duh, it is based on assuming that 45% less energy will be used!

Who knew that if you estimate you will use less electricity it will cost less!

After opening statements, moderator Tom Connell asks the first questions.

QUESTION:

Mr Bowen, before the last election you pledged energy bills to be $235 cheaper by the end of the term. What price pledge can you offer for this election, not compared to any coalition policies are compared to the latest forecast prices, will they go up or down?

CHRIS BOWEN:

The pledge I give is that energy prices will be cheaper underwriters than under Mr O’Brien. That is the pledge. That is what we can state categorically based on the two plans. Anybody who predicts energy prices in this complicated geopolitical environment, I think, is making a punt so I will not do that.

QUESTION:

You have made a price pledge, 7% reduction on household gas bills, 3-person electricity, to be clear on measure, is that cheaper than the latest forecast prices and when do we measure it by, is it by the final year of a term in office if the Coalition wins power?

TED O’BRIEN:

Tom, the analysis done independently by Frontier economics looks at the 25, 26 year. That is the basis upon which those estimates are made. 50% lower gas prices for industry, seven December household. — 15% top. It is notable that I can actually give you those figures because unlike Chris’s answer to you just then, they don’t have anything. They’ve done no modelling. His decision-making is based on gut.

Ted O’Brien had barely finished the opening line of his opening statement in his Press Club debate with Chris Bowen when he was interrupted by a protester.

Looking a little bewildered, Mr O’Brien stopped and looked to moderator Tom Connell, asking him if was ok to “proceed and ignore”!!!!

Proceed and ignore!!!! How’s that for a coalition climate motto?

In his press conference, Peter Dutton said:

“We don’t achieve a position of strength if we rip $80 billion out of Defence. That’s what Labor has done.”

It’s not the first time the Coalition has made this $80bn cut claim:

Media Release: Labor’s $80 billion defence cuts and delays to come under scrutiny – Phillip Thompson OAM MP

But Defence spending IS INCREASING. Dutton is very miffed and calls it misleading when Labor talks about $80b cut from health and education in the 2014 budget. That was trimming the rate of growth from what was previously expected. 

But he uses the same sort of whoosh whoosh to make this defence claim against Labor

Here’s the April 2024 announcement from Defence Minister Richard Marles: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/apr/17/labor-government-defence-military-budget-increase-spending-adf

Yes, some programs got cut, trimmed, deferred – but as part of an overall net increase in defence funding:

From that story:

“Plans for Australia to acquire new F-35 fighter jets have been put on the back burner as part of a major funding overhaul that the government says will deliver an overall increase in defence spending.

The Albanese government is pouring an extra $50bn into defence spending over the next 10 years and pledging toensure the military can project power further from Australia’s shores.

While the funding is going up overall, the government says it is freeing up about $73bn over 10 years by cutting, delaying or changing the scope of some defence projects.

Even after these cuts are taken into account, however, the government says it has committed an extra $50.3b for Defence over the next 10 years, which includes a net increase of $5.7b over the immediate four-year budget cycle.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher have released a joint statement on the coalition’s plan for two new future funds:

The Coalition’s announcement of two off-budget funds will mean bigger deficits, more debt
and more rorts under Dutton.
This is a recipe for bigger deficits and more gross debt, not less.
These new funds will mean that future revenue won’t be used to directly improve the
bottom line or pay down debt.
Instead, taxpayers money will be parked in new funds that we know will be rorted.
As Angus Taylor and Peter Dutton have said, “the best indicator of future performance is
past performance”.
When they were last in Government, Peter Dutton and the Liberals racked up bigger
deficits and more debt and today’s announcement is more proof they will do it again.
The Coalition had a shameful record of treating public funds as political slush funds, and
this is exactly what they would do again.
Nothing the Liberals say about the budget means anything until they come clean on what
they’ll cut to pay for their $600b nuclear reactors.
The Liberals need to explain how much they will push up gross debt, what this will cost
Australians and whether this means even harsher cuts.
Our Government has brought debt down, restrained real spending growth and unlike our
predecessors banked the vast majority of revenue upgrades.
Since coming to Government, around 70 per cent of tax upgrades have been returned to
the budget, compared to only around 40 per cent under the previous government and the
Howard Government who returned only around 30 per cent.
We’ve lowered the Liberal debt by $177 billion this year, saving $60 billion in interest costs
in the process.
The choice at the election is between Labor’s plans to help with the cost of living,
strengthen the economy and budget, and build Australia’s future, or more debt, waste and
rorts under the Liberals.

The Opposition Leader has concluded his press conference in Melbourne.

Now we’re counting down to the debate between Chris Bowen and Ted O’Brien, which fires up at 12:30pm.

Imagine being stuck between that pair on a flight to London!

Greg Jericho

In his press conference, Peter Dutton said “ electricity is up by 32%”.

Is it though?

Well, no.

Let’s look at the CPI numbers. The energy rebates have actually made electricity cheaper in most cities than it was in the June 2022 quarter.

Apparently these don’t count?

Peter Dutton is asked which is more important – preserving Australia’s military history with the US or the economic relationship with China.

We can have a strong trading relationship with China, and that is in our economic best interests and I’ve always been strongly supportive of enhancing and advancing that trading relationship. And I was part of a government that negotiated a free trade agreement with China. It’s good for Australian jobs and for our industry and we should be doing everything we can to provide encouragement to expand that relationship. At the same time, we can have a rock solid relationship with the United States when it comes to our security pacts, in relation to ANZUS and AUKUS – we live in the most precarious period since the Second World War. That is a direct quote from the Prime Minister. If that is the case, we need to invest in Defence.

Channel 7’s Tim Lester asks if Peter Dutton could really deliver a better tariff deal for Australia if he met with Supreme Leader Trump in Washington … or would he just kiss his backside?

Tim, my job as Prime Minister will be to stand up for our country. I demonstrated as Defence Minister, Home Affairs Minister, Immigration Minister, I demonstrated as a Health Minister and as a police officer. I want to make sure that we can negotiate the best possible outcome for our country. Whatever comes at our country, whether it is a global shock from decisions made in relation to tariffs, whether it’s a horrible terrorist incident somewhere in the world, whether it’s another pandemic, whatever it is – the Prime Minister of our country needs to have the strength of leadership to stand up for our interests and what we know about Anthony Albanese is that he’s weak, he’s slow to issues, and he’s out of his depth. A Labor-Greens government would be a disaster for our country. I will stand up for our best interests in negotiations with the US, in negotiations with any other world leader, and when we negotiated with President Biden, the arrangement to share the nuclear secrets for the submarines, that had not been done with other country since the 50s. We were able to negotiate that out come, a Liberal government and a Democrat administration. I will work with the American president, whoever it is, I will deal with whatever comes at our country and make the right and tough decisions to keep us safe and to make sure we’re a strong economy.

Peter Dutton is being peppered with questions about the Liberal candidate for the seat of Wills, in Melbourne’s north.

The Age has just dropped a report that candidate Jeffrey Kidney, who lives on the other side of Melbourne, pleaded guilty to a charge of obtaining financial advantage by deception in March 2024 and “was ordered to pay $10,640 in compensation to the Victorian Work Cover authority. Kidney’s breach occurred between May and October 2019.”

Peter Dutton refuses to say if Mr Kidney has his support but insists Liberal candidates across the board are “amazing people”.