White smoke has emanated from the department offices and a new acronym has been announced to guide the transition electricity sector: ESEM! www.afr.com/policy/energ...

Somewhat reminiscent of Heywood interconnector upgrade a decade ago that was supposed to be finished before the Northern brown coal fired power station closure (Story from @ryancropp.bsky.social here: www.afr.com/policy/energ...)

Australia’s Foreign Affairs Department is operating without its top climate diplomat as the Albanese government struggles to lock in the international support required to secure its bid to host a major UN summit in Adelaide in 2026. www.afr.com/policy/energ...

Here's the FY25 "we're only adding RE at ~1/2 the rate needed" update .. 🥲 www.afr.com/policy/energ...

NEW: The National Party has appointed outspoken critic of Australia’s net zero emissions target, Matt Canavan, to a two-man internal committee tasked with reviewing the party’s policy on the issue. www.afr.com/policy/energ...

Tomago aluminium smelter, the nation’s largest electricity user, is in urgent talks to secure billions of dollars in support from the NSW and federal governments to save it from collapse due to crippling energy costs. www.afr.com/policy/energ...

The government is poised to sign off on an extension to Woodside’s NW Shelf gas development after Anthony Albanese said the transition to renewable energy could not proceed without gas as a back-up — before announcing he would hold a cabinet meeting in Perth next week. www.afr.com/policy/energ...

Landfill sites that earn carbon offsets for capturing excess gas emitted from rotting waste will face stricter regulations under a new proposal designed to improve the integrity of the federal government’s carbon credits scheme. www.afr.com/policy/energ...

Clean energy advocates hope Labor can use the policy seeds planted in its first term to deliver its energy transition agenda. The reality will be much harder. www.afr.com/policy/energ...

Nearly a third of the carbon credits bought by Australia’s top emitting companies last year were based on an offsetting technique that has been banned for future projects after a government review found it would be ineffective at reducing emissions. www.afr.com/policy/energ...

Nice @ryancropp.bsky.social piece here - on why Labor talked about nuclear power way more than the Coalition did, during the election campaign: www.afr.com/policy/energ... ($)

Several large coal mines have slashed their annual carbon emissions by more than half as a result of mandated changes to accounting methods that have prompted experts to question the reliability of key data underpinning one of Labor’s flagship climate policies. www.afr.com/policy/energ...

LONG READ for your LONG WEEKEND: Climate 200 founder Simon Holmes à Court changed Australian politics. But has his success become a drag on the community independent movement he champions? www.afr.com/politics/fed...

Pretty good how’d-we-get-here piece in the Fin on power prices & reduction promises from @ryancropp.bsky.social www.afr.com/policy/energ... Lots of interesting points made by @dylanjmcconnell.bsky.social @tonyrwood.bsky.social and others

Our reporting in December on the eSafety Commissioner’s undeclared trip to Twiggy Forrest’s private AI conference has resulted in a flood of new disclosures

Hello. Next month I’m starting a new gig at the AFR covering energy and climate from Canberra. If you know anything about energy and/or climate, let’s chat

Very good www.thenation.com/article/cult...

2002-2008 - no significant Cronulla-related events

They should make a Hollywood movie about Dylan’s Christian period

ICYMI this story went out in the news hole right before the summer break but nevertheless went absolutely turbo over on Twitter/X. Still no disclosure from the e-Safety Commissioner.

Lars von Trier’s Antichrist is a Christmas movie

NEW: Australia's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant failed to disclose her attendance at a secretive, all-expenses-paid tech policy retreat funded by mining billionaire Andrew Forrest.

The OAIC’s $50 million settlement with Meta today was reported by MLex on Nov 29

Saturday Paper profile of Anthony Pratt by @jksocrates.bsky.social is a banger

Re Australia’s social media age bans, Senate staff have just posted a bunch of representative samples of mass submissions they received, including one theme they got more than 9,200 times. www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentar...

ACCC launches its first new competition lawsuit since February 2023*. Civil cartel case against government defence contractors (*bid rigging case against mining technology company Swift Networks - not to be confused, as I was, with Dec 2022 cartel case against mining equipment company Qteq)

ABR looking for a new editor 👀 www.australianbookreview.com.au/about/people...

Here’s me and Nick Bryant talking about a 60 year old book on ABC RN’s Saturday Extra www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Antiwoke antitrust

As reported on Nov. 20, Stephen Jones is announcing the govt’s next steps on long-awaited tech competition rules tonight in Sydney

NEW from me and James Panichi: Meta's five-year legal fight with Australia's privacy watchdog over the Cambridge Analytica data breach could end as soon as next week www.mlex.com/mlex/article...

Never a dull moment on the #BigTech front. Canada’s @CompBureau sues @Google over tying, self-preferencing behavior in adtech market. Competition Bureau seeks forced sale of Google’s two adtech tools. Google says complaint ignores “intense” competition in market. #antitrust

wow the parade this year was crazy

Scoop: Seven, ABC, SBS and ACM form alliance to chase AI deals www.capitalbrief.com/article/seve...

“I’m not one of these tech senators”, says the ALP’s Nita Green at estimates tonight

Wealth guru Dominique Grubisa has now been sanctioned by the ACCC, ASIC and the OAIC www.oaic.gov.au/news/media-c...

A deep probe of Labor’s electoral laws, likely to pass this week. I’ve focused on the gaps that will allow major and minor parties to carry on as they were. For new teals, it’s a different story. But there are options. The clearest, even if unpalatable: become a party. www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11...

Google Search antitrust remedy applies worldwide

HOT TECH REG NEWS: Long-awaited ACCC proposals to introduce mandatory competition codes for big tech platforms are set to go out for formal consultation in early December. The consultation will be on policy proposals and will not involve draft legislation.

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