Energy
15 November 2020
Flame out: the future of natural gas
Far from fuelling recovery from the COVID recession, natural gas will inevitably decline as an energy source in Australia. Economics and environmental imperatives imperil the industry.
28 June 2020
The Recovery Book: what Australian governments should do now
To help Australia recover from the COVID-19 recession, the Government should inject $70 billion to $90 billion in extra economic stimulus, including revamping and extending JobKeeper.
10 May 2020
Start with steel: A practical plan to support carbon workers and cut emissions
Australia has an historic opportunity to create a multi-billion-dollar, export-focused manufacturing sector based on globally competitive renewable energy.
7 October 2019
Power play: how governments can better direct Australia’s electricity market
Chaotic approaches to energy policy have pushed up electricity prices and scared off investors. Governments feel compelled to respond to blackouts or high prices, but ad hoc actions have actually made things worse.
16 April 2019
Commonwealth Orange Book 2019: Policy priorities for the federal government
The winner of the 2019 federal election should defy the national mood of reform fatigue and stare down vested interests to pursue a targeted agenda to improve the lives of Australians. The Orange Book charts the policy priorities.
10 February 2019
Keep calm and carry on: Managing electricity reliability
The idea that electricity supply is less reliable with more renewables is wrong. Almost all outages are caused by problems in transporting electricity, and have nothing to do with how the power was generated. It’s also a dangerous idea, because if politicians panic and intervene in the market, power bills could rise even higher.
28 October 2018
State Orange Book 2018: Policy priorities for states and territories
State and territory governments can do more to improve the lives of Australians. In many cases, states are different because their governments adopted better policies. Every state should learn from the others and do better.
1 July 2018
Mostly working: Australia’s wholesale electricity market
Wholesale electricity prices rose by 130 per cent between 2015 and 2017. But governments can’t fix the problem, because most of the price rises are caused by issues beyond their control. Politicians should tell Australians the harsh truth: high electricity prices are the new normal.
25 March 2018
Down to the wire: A sustainable electricity network for Australia
State governments have spent up to $20 billion more than was needed on the electricity grid. Customers are paying up to $400 more for their power each year than they should. They should get a rebate, or governments should write down the value of the assets to reduce electricity bills.
1 February 2018
Designing a more reliable National Electricity Market
Australia is seeking to design a ‘reliability mechanism’ as part of the National Energy Guarantee. This Working Paper provides suggestions on how to design the mechanism and how it might work. On balance, we support a well-designed retailer obligation that utilises commercial market drivers. But we recognise there are risks in this approach. Policy makers will need to consult widely to ensure the new mechanism achieves the right balance between higher reliability and lower costs.