Talking Politics

[DavidSSS]

Aah Comrade Dutton is proposing 7 Socialist nuclear power stations.

Of course, we have to ask why the party of privatisation which opposes just about anything being run by governments would want to own the nukes. The answer is obvious, and is the reason why so many nuclear power stations are government owned and run (and why in the UK the one section of the power industry which was not privatised was the nukes), and that is because only a government has the funds to throw so much money on so little energy, and only a government has the means to indemnify an industry which is uninsurable. The private sector would not touch this with a barge pole, or without government indemnity in case of an accident.

Dutton has moved from a vague fantasy to a full blown fairy tale. 7 nuclear power stations? Yeah right, won't happen. Especially when amongst those 7 are 2 they say are likely to be small modular reactors, yeah? Who will make the modules? No-one does now.

I see he has also committed to a comprehensive waste disposal system . . . oh wait, there is no safe way to dispose of toxic radioactive nuclear waste which remains toxic and radioactive for 250,000 years. We all know the delays and cost blowouts nuclear power stations have, as mentioned above with Hinkley, so Dutton reckons we will get experienced companies in to build them - what like EDF from France who are looking to be over a decade behind in building Hinkley and way over budget? That would be EDF who are government owned (socialists!) and had to be bailed out a few years back. Yeah, they'll get it done!

Then there is the problem that nuclear is not a renewable source of energy. There is a limit to how much uranium can be extracted. If nukes did ramp up worldwide we would have a few decades of uranium and then . . . nothing to fuel the nukes.

Still, all of this matters little as Comrade Dutton's little nuclear fantasy is really a distraction to slow down any reduction in fossil fuel use. As a policy you would have to say it is partially successful - it has been a big distraction, but it comes with a lot of risk. As Sir Humphrey would say "courageous"!

DS

 

[AngryAnt]

FMD Antsy, I thought I was fairly vague at times but you've well and truly got me covered.
Oh n by the way I'm pretty sure Dan was all happy n ready to sell up to Grandpa Xi but old mate Scummo pulled the pin on him doing that a bit before he got kicked out of orifice. Jacindarella hasn't yet sold her big hole in the ground job to the Chinese because she ( us taxpayers ) haven't got the money to pay for the hole digging just yet, but she's working on it.

Still wondering about this insects and rocks and things

 

[AngryAnt]

The inside word from the Coalition party room is that the bsckbenchers are not happy with Dutts for attacking Labor on costings then not providing costings himself, bit of an own goal there.

Their public response is muted though as they know this is a policy with zero chance of implementation.

 

[Sintiger]

I owned and managed a bulk-billing clinic in rural Victoria for 12 years.

Could you explain how the LNP destroyed bulk-billing?

Nico. Genuine questions

I can’t actually recall who introduced the Medicare schedule fee freeze many years ago but I think I am right in saying it straddled both LNP and ALP governments and of course it was never caught up even when it ceased. It must have had an effect on the profitability of GP clinics?

The RACGP has lobbied hard for increases in the scheduled fees. That of course is not unusual seeing they are a lobby group for the GPs themselves, but they set the standard consult fee they want at something like $55-56 from memory. What’s your feeling on that?

 

[Ian4]

Re nuclear... It's political suicide for Dutton. There are no costings. Timelines are unrealistic. Most of the states will tell him to GAGF. Its a one page document with no detail.

what did he say during the referendum? That it lacked detail? If you don't know, vote no!!!

My honest opinion is that he has no intention of introducing nuclear power. Its a deflection. He's using it as an excuse to chop renewables. Then eventually, he will drop the nuclear policy because he'll claim it's too expensive (which is what we are all claiming now). and who wins? Gina and his fossil fuel donors. That is the plan IMO.

Clive Palmer spent his own money big deal,,,The CFMEU money is from members ,and it's a bit of a stretch to say they all vote labor.

It is a big deal because its anti-democratic.

Unions founded Labor in the late 19th century. They always will be (and should be) linked. In fact, Sally McManus would make a great PM one day.

I owned and managed a bulk-billing clinic in rural Victoria for 12 years.

Could you explain how the LNP destroyed bulk-billing?

Well you tell me. have medical rebates for consultations gone up in line with inflation over the past 30 years? what percentage of medical centres nowadays don't charge extra fees for consults? I don't know of any in my area.

 

[TigerMasochist]

Setka is not popular amongst unions, but I do find it strange that Richmond supporters would have a problem with him going after the head of AFL umpiring - one thing I do support him on.

DS

The reason he's going after the shiny brand new head of AFL umpiring by back dooring through the AFLHQ has absolutely nothing to do with Bernie's new job, that's a fairly pitiful comment from you.

 

[Sintiger]

Setka is not popular amongst unions, but I do find it strange that Richmond supporters would have a problem with him going after the head of AFL umpiring - one thing I do support him on.

DS

I reckon the idea that we can have Union leaders holding an organisation to ransom based on who they employ is a really bad precedent. The CFMEU should get its nose out of AFL footy business no matter what we think of AFL house , McBurney and the organisation he formerly worked for.

 

[IanG]

It is a big deal because its anti-democratic.

Unions founded Labor in the late 19th century. They always will be (and should be) linked. In fact, Sally McManus would make a great PM one day.

Or Michele O'Neil

 

[AngryAnt]

Re nuclear... It's political suicide for Dutton. There are no costings. Timelines are unrealistic. Most of the states will tell him to GAGF. Its a one page document with no detail.

what did he say during the referendum? That it lacked detail? If you don't know, vote no!!!

My honest opinion is that he has no intention of introducing nuclear power. Its a deflection. He's using it as an excuse to chop renewables. Then eventually, he will drop the nuclear policy because he'll claim it's too expensive (which is what we are all claiming now). and who wins? Gina and his fossil fuel donors. That is the plan IMO.



It is a big deal because its anti-democratic.

Unions founded Labor in the late 19th century. They always will be (and should be) linked. In fact, Sally McManus would make a great PM one day.



Well you tell me. have medical rebates for consultations gone up in line with inflation over the past 30 years? what percentage of medical centres nowadays don't charge extra fees for consults? I don't know of any in my area.

I actually found one in Sydney where I'm living now in Canterbury. Couldn't believe it when they didn't ask for a gap fee.

 

[Sintiger]

I actually found one in Sydney where I'm living now in Canterbury. Couldn't believe it when they didn't ask for a gap fee.

The other places you can find bulk billing is still happening a lot is for pathology and also some radiology items. I know from my time around the sector that many of the scheduled fees for basic pathology items provide a decent return for providers and that some radiology items are also ok but many aren't in that space as well.

I have no experience in the economics of a GP clinic which is why I asked Nico about it.

 

[Brodders17]

Well if you aren't happy with that site,there are many more with the same info,,l know how fickle you lefties get over certain sites ,even if it's true.

Fickle? no i am consistent in my disregard of the Daily Fail as a source of any sort of facts.

and anyway, you originally said "lollipop man" got paid lots in Victoria cos the CMFEU runs the Vic Labor government, but then you said "Lollipop men" get paid the same Oz wide. Are the Vic Labor government responsible for wages Aust wide?

 

[Tigaman]

I reckon the idea that we can have Union leaders holding an organisation to ransom based on who they employ is a really bad precedent. The CFMEU should get its nose out of AFL footy business no matter what we think of AFL house , McBurney and the organisation he formerly worked for.

They can do that because he is in Australia which is in the hands of the Unions. They do not donate for free they want something in return like any Mafia organization.

 

[bengal tigers]

The $14 billion Metro Tunnel has run out of funding set aside for unexpected costs, with builders set to seek more taxpayer cash to finish the job.
Warnings that Metro’s “contingency” funds – which are effectively spent when things go wrong – were running low began following Victoria’s Covid-19 shutdowns, and forced parts of the project to be cut back.
But recent cost pressures, which include delays to the two CBD station builds revealed by the Herald Sun, and the complexity of testing trains and communications systems, have tipped the city-shaping project into the red.
The Tunnel’s budget has already blown out by more than $3bn, including more than $1.7bn coughed up by taxpayers, but sources familiar with the project said a further injection of cash from the public purse would be inevitable.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/metro-tunnel-runs-out-of-funding-for-unexpected-costs-builders-to-seek-taxpayer-cash/news-story/20e2a0442899003887ae3ffb49bbd35b

 

[TigerMasochist]

The $14 billion Metro Tunnel has run out of funding set aside for unexpected costs, with builders set to seek more taxpayer cash to finish the job.
Warnings that Metro’s “contingency” funds – which are effectively spent when things go wrong – were running low began following Victoria’s Covid-19 shutdowns, and forced parts of the project to be cut back.
But recent cost pressures, which include delays to the two CBD station builds revealed by the Herald Sun, and the complexity of testing trains and communications systems, have tipped the city-shaping project into the red.
The Tunnel’s budget has already blown out by more than $3bn, including more than $1.7bn coughed up by taxpayers, but sources familiar with the project said a further injection of cash from the public purse would be inevitable.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/metro-tunnel-runs-out-of-funding-for-unexpected-costs-builders-to-seek-taxpayer-cash/news-story/20e2a0442899003887ae3ffb49bbd35b

Can't be right Bengal, this is just another beat up by that lying Murdoch prick n his garbage spewing journos.

 

[Baloo]

Can't be right Bengal, this is just another beat up by that lying Murdoch prick n his garbage spewing journos.

It can easily be correct. Pretty sure every major infra project kicked off by any government ends up with cost blowouts. Not sure anyone would be surprised by it.

 

[Sintiger]

The $14 billion Metro Tunnel has run out of funding set aside for unexpected costs, with builders set to seek more taxpayer cash to finish the job.
Warnings that Metro’s “contingency” funds – which are effectively spent when things go wrong – were running low began following Victoria’s Covid-19 shutdowns, and forced parts of the project to be cut back.
But recent cost pressures, which include delays to the two CBD station builds revealed by the Herald Sun, and the complexity of testing trains and communications systems, have tipped the city-shaping project into the red.
The Tunnel’s budget has already blown out by more than $3bn, including more than $1.7bn coughed up by taxpayers, but sources familiar with the project said a further injection of cash from the public purse would be inevitable.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/metro-tunnel-runs-out-of-funding-for-unexpected-costs-builders-to-seek-taxpayer-cash/news-story/20e2a0442899003887ae3ffb49bbd35b

The way governments and the bureaucracies estimate costs of projects is fundamentally flawed, always has been. I think where it gets highlighted in Victoria is the scale of the build and so the blowouts are large.
To me it’s a bureaucratic problem but is tied up with politics and the need to get costings done fast and to fit into a budget envelope. At a federal level the best example right now is the snowy 2.0 which has blown out enormously as well from the original costings under the previous government.
Politicians will always blame each other but the costings are done in the departments not by politicians and history tells us that almost every major project across the country blows out in cost.
It is a major issue but it keeps on happening over and over again. I haven’t been involved with projects in the $billlions but I have been in $100 million plus ones. You always want a big contingency in the costings and I reckon this is one place we always fail because they inevitably get under costed.
It’s a crude measure but I always think with these major projects add 25-50% contingency and you might be safe but the pollies want to keep the numbers low and deal with the fallout later, or hope for the best! I reckon all of them do it.

 

[TigerMasochist]

The way governments and the bureaucracies estimate costs of projects is fundamentally flawed, always has been. I think where it gets highlighted in Victoria is the scale of the build and so the blowouts are large.
To me it’s a bureaucratic problem but is tied up with politics and the need to get costings done fast and to fit into a budget envelope. At a federal level the best example right now is the snowy 2.0 which has blown out enormously as well from the original costings under the previous government.
Politicians will always blame each other but the costings are done in the departments not by politicians and history tells us that almost every major project across the country blows out in cost.
It is a major issue but it keeps on happening over and over again. I haven’t been involved with projects in the $billlions but I have been in $100 million plus ones. You always want a big contingency in the costings and I reckon this is one place we always fail because they inevitably get under costed.
It’s a crude measure but I always think with these major projects add 25-50% contingency and you might be safe but the pollies want to keep the numbers low and deal with the fallout later, or hope for the best! I reckon all of them do it.

Thing that always beats my head in regarding the " costings " for all of these major projects is that somehow there's big multi national companies come in n do millions of dollars worth of costings n plannings to figure out how much it's going to cost to do the project plus then make a profit which they then submit as a tender to do the job. Yet every time, their figures as well as the govt bureaucrats figures end up being a steaming pile of under priced *smile*, even if as you're suggesting you leave a big contingency in your costings. They don't just miss the $ or the timelines by a couple of mill or a few weeks here n there. It's just an absolute *smile* show of lies n incompetence over n over again at the tax payers expense.

 

[Sintiger]

Thing that always beats my head in regarding the " costings " for all of these major projects is that somehow there's big multi national companies come in n do millions of dollars worth of costings n plannings to figure out how much it's going to cost to do the project plus then make a profit which they then submit as a tender to do the job. Yet every time, their figures as well as the govt bureaucrats figures end up being a steaming pile of under priced *smile*, even if as you're suggesting you leave a big contingency in your costings. They don't just miss the $ or the timelines by a couple of mill or a few weeks here n there. It's just an absolute *smile* show of lies n incompetence over n over again at the tax payers expense.

It is TM and it is incredibly frustrating and galling !

 

[bengal tigers]

Thing that always beats my head in regarding the " costings " for all of these major projects is that somehow there's big multi national companies come in n do millions of dollars worth of costings n plannings to figure out how much it's going to cost to do the project plus then make a profit which they then submit as a tender to do the job. Yet every time, their figures as well as the govt bureaucrats figures end up being a steaming pile of under priced *smile*, even if as you're suggesting you leave a big contingency in your costings. They don't just miss the $ or the timelines by a couple of mill or a few weeks here n there. It's just an absolute *smile* show of lies n incompetence over n over again at the tax payers expense.

The Labor Government in Victoria are sinking fast

Broke Victoria demands more bailouts from federal government

The federal government has already provided one bailout to Victoria by delivering the state $3.8 billion in additional GST revenue, while New South Wales lost $188 million: Victoria’s North-East Link project, which is being built between the Eastern Freeway and the M80 Ring Road in...

www.macrobusiness.com.au

 

[AngryAnt]

The Labor Government in Victoria are sinking fast

Broke Victoria demands more bailouts from federal government

The federal government has already provided one bailout to Victoria by delivering the state $3.8 billion in additional GST revenue, while New South Wales lost $188 million: Victoria’s North-East Link project, which is being built between the Eastern Freeway and the M80 Ring Road in...

www.macrobusiness.com.au

You'd have to blame John Setka for that since he runs the government here.