concentrating solar thermal

Corporate tax cuts defended by lies

According to federal government ministers, Medicare is unsustainable. The aged pension is also unsustainable. The NDIS is unsustainable. Many other social services are unsustainable. However, billions of dollars of tax cuts to big Australian companies are perfectly sustainable.

In the short term, the government will be stealing $5.2 billion from the public purse and handing it over in the form of tax cuts to companies with an annual turnover of up to $50 million. In the medium term the cuts go further and will cost $24 billion.

Why climate activists should support nationalisation and direct public investment

With the Paris climate talks just around the corner it is timely to consider what effective policies to cut emissions might look like. Nationalisation and direct public investment are key policies that have historically been “bread and butter” political demands both for socialists and for the more radical voices within social democratic parties. Climate activists from the Greens and Labor Environment Action Network should revisit these ideas, as they are a useful alternative to the dead end that is carbon trading. Direct public investment

How to get active

ADELAIDE Forum: Making solar thermal happen Wednesday August 5, 6pm Come to an interactive discussion about next steps for the campaign. Entry by donation. Hosted by Repower Port Augsuta Alliance and CLEAN SA. Allan Scott Auditorium (H2-16), Hawke Building, City West Campus, University of South Australia. Visit repowerportaugusta.org BENDIGO Forum: Tariq Ali: Why is democracy under siege and what can be done to restore it? Saturday August 8, 7.30pm This is part of the Bendigo Writers Festival. For bookings visit bendigowritersfestival.com.au.

Build big solar in Port Augusta

Right now, there is an opportunity to slash Australia’s carbon emissions by 5 million tonnes a year in one stroke. The city of Port Augusta in South Australia has all the right conditions to make it Australia’s first baseload renewable energy hub. The two coal-fired power stations at Port Augusta are getting old. Industry experts say they may be forced to close as soon as 2015.

Street parade calls for a solar thermal future

More than 300 people of all ages gathered in Adelaide on September 24 calling for concentrating solar thermal (CST) technology to replace Port Augusta’s ageing coal fired power stations. The action was organised by several environment groups, including the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, the Climate Emergency Action Network, the Socialist Alliance, Resistance and the Young Greens. The crowd met in Adelaide’s Rymill Park and took to the streets in a colourful, rhythmic parade, featuring a moving solar thermal tower.