Before governments can improve oil security for their people they need to learn how markets work, or their policies will do more harm than good. This submission discusses the effects of suppliers, consumers, traders and governments in the oil market, why “Peak Oil” is a mirage which recedes as you approach it, how methane hydrates may provide the next energy revolution, how governments reduce oil security, why biofuels and alternative energy will not fuel our transport fleet, the hydrogen myth and why “Hands Off” is the best policy.

Read the full submission [PDF, 49 KB] to the Queensland State government.

Attached is the Carbon Sense Coalition’s submission to Queensland State Government’s Climate Smart 2050 proposals, Yesterday’s Visions. [PDF, 96KB]

Dear Premier and Members,

The Carbon Sense Coalition was formed in Queensland by Australians, including many Queenslanders who have been closely involved, some at senior levels, in the backbone industries and public service activities of the Sunshine State. Some still are. Some have been participants, commentators and observers of the Queensland political scene for longer than most members of the current parliament.

They are all motivated by concern at the biggest politically generated threat to every Queensland industry, to the outlook for jobs for our kids, to the cost of living, and to the continued flow of revenue to the State. That threat is an Emissions Trading System, its carbon taxes and all the asset destruction that will flow from it.

Read the full document here [PDF, 70KB]

Michael Kiely

Government Climate Change policies will depopulate the bush and corporatise agriculture.
The city investor gets a tax break to buy up family farms from struggling farmers and plant
forests as carbon sinks. The family farmer is told they will be slugged with a ‘tax’ for their
emissions from stock (methane), fertilisers (nitrous oxide) and fuels (carbon dioxide), and at
the same time, denied the right to trade the carbon they can capture in their soils.

Read the full document [PDF, 11 KB]

The Carbon Sense Coalition submission in response to the Government Green Paper on The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme is here in full [PDF, 70 KB].

The recommendations are:

1. Abandon attempts to get global or national support for an Emissions Trading Scheme or any other carbon emissions reduction strategy.
2. Do not introduce ETS by stealth, by legislating for the whole reporting and compliance structure but with so many tax exemptions and compensations that most people do not notice the change. Once it is in place, and no matter what is promised, the Emissions Tax burden will rise, no matter what the Climate
   does.
3. Accept “adapting to climate change” as the sole leg of Australia’s Climate Policy.
4. Support policies that allow markets to ration scarce resources.
5. Apply policies that impose costs and deterrents on real polluters.

By Viv Forbes

“Australian state and federal governments are today pursuing plans that must
produce high prices for electricity and gas, electricity blackouts and high risks to
petrol and diesel supplies.

“Every proposed government energy policy seems designed to create long term
energy chaos for Australians. Three foolish policies stand out…”

Full document here [PDF, 50KB]

What follows is an expanded version of a complaint sent to the ACCC. (The ACCC complaint form limits the amount of text than can be entered.)

I wish to complain about the Australian Government “Climate Change” advertisement currently showing on Australian TV (August, 2008). The text of the advertisement is as follows:
(more…)

The Carbon Sense Coalition submission to the Enquiry into Mandatory Renewable Energy Schemes: download file here [PDF, 80KB]

A response to the Green Paper on Climate Change – a comment by Viv Forbes, Chairman of the Carbon Sense Coalition. 16 July 2008

The Climate will fluctuate.
It always has, it always will.
Get used to it.

The Government Green Paper completely ignores the main question – should Canberra try to control the weather, or is it better to foster a strong Australia able to cope with whatever climate change brings us?

The Government also justifies the need for action on completely worthless long term forecasts of Australia’s weather.
(more…)

Will Australia and New Zealand be left hanging like dead dingoes on a barbed wire fence?

An Australian Group of Global Warming Sceptics today claimed that the Garnaut Report had totally ignored the three key questions in the debate.
Full news release here. [PDF, 13KB]