The nation’s biggest cities are at risk of rolling blackouts this summer.
| | | | | | | Hello there, This week on Q+A… tackling Australia’s energy crisis. The nation’s biggest cities are at risk of rolling blackouts this summer, and the regulator is warning of a bleak decade of power outages to come. As temperatures rise and coal power plants close – how will our leaders ensure we can keep the lights on?
The return of El Niño is set to bring hotter days and lower winds, putting more pressure on an already strained system as people try to keep cool. Delays and cost blowouts for projects like Snowy Hydro 2.0 – along with a slowdown in clean energy investment approvals – have heightened concerns about the transition to renewables. Do we need to look at more radical solutions?
Meanwhile, the turbulence for Qantas continues after the High Court found it illegally sacked 1,700 workers at the height of the pandemic. With a Senate inquiry set to begin – will the government be forced to come clean about the controversial Qatar Airways decision?
And Labor has finally got its headline housing bill over the line – but questions remain about when and where the new homes will be built. How soon will the work begin?
Q+A is live from Sydney tonight, Monday September 18, at 9.35pm AEST.
Joining David Speers on the panel live in Sydney:
Chris Bowen, Minister for Climate Change & Energy
Ted O’Brien, Shadow Minister for Climate Change & Energy
Allegra Spender, Independent Member for Wentworth
Nicki Hutley, Independent Economist
Will Shackel, Founder of Nuclear for Australia
If you would like to submit a question for consideration, please submit one via our website for the chance to ask the panel.
Each week, Q+A selects our top question to highlight in the newsletter. Scroll down to watch Monday's toughest question asked by volunteer firefighter Kym Kilpatrick, who spoke about her traumatic experiences fighting bushfires and asked the panel what can be done to manage catastrophes.
Watch Q+A Monday at 9.35pm AEST on ABC TV or on ABC iview.
Looking forward to hearing your questions. |
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| Get to know the panellists |
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| | Chris Bowen is the Minister for Climate Change & Energy. In response to concerns about the forecasted blackouts next summer, he says we have a range of measures in place "to ensure we are as prepared as we can be". | | READ MORE |
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| The Shadow Minister for Climate Change & Energy Ted O'Brien has criticised the government’s climate and energy policy, saying it’s “completely in tatters” after Labor states have begun “racing back to coal”. | | READ MORE |
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| Allegra Spender, Independent MP for Wentworth, says that tax reform has to be considered “more broadly” so that the economy is "productive" and able to support the aging population. | | READ MORE |
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| Independent economist Nicki Hutley says climate change “is not just an environmental concern; it’s an economic imperative" and the Intergenerational Report shows it affects our “most important economic sectors”. | | READ MORE |
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| Teenager Will Shackel, the founder of Nuclear for Australia, says “in the same way that AUKUS is using nuclear energy... we should be using nuclear energy to address our climate and energy crises". | | READ MORE |
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| Last Week's Hard Question |
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| Fire and Emergency Management |
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Kym Kilpatrick asked:
How is the government planning to mitigate and manage the ongoing prevalence of catastrophes? Does that plan involve continuing the heavy reliance on volunteers to be the front line of defence? | | WATCH HERE |
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