ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
Australia is on the precipice of a clean energy renaissance after the renewable sector matched bribes and political donations from the coal industry for the first time.
Political donations, subsidies and simple bribes have underpinned the Australian energy sector for close to a decade and largely dictate policy surrounding the generation of power and how it’s distributed.
The industry that has been most successful on this front historically has been coal, with natural gas taking the lead in the past year.
Natural gas for the purposes of energy generation was said to lift the entire trillion-dollar Australian economy out of its spicy cough funk this year but has yet to get off the ground.
That has left the door open for the wind, solar, hydro and battery industries to put their collective petty cash drawers together to create a bribe so large, it’s turning heads in Parliament House.
Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor said he was happy to talk about energy but explained before the interview began that he’s never taken a bribe or engaged in corruption in his life.
“If you apply Game Theory to the clean energy market, there is a case for coal to answer to,” he explained.
“So, uh, there’s that.”
Mr Taylor’s phone started ringing; his ringtone is ‘Brandy‘ by 70’s softrock band Looking Glass.
“Christ alive, it’s Gina Rinehart. Sorry mate, I’m going to have to take this one.”
More to come.
