Playing with power

BUNDLES OF ENERGY

Australian Energy Market Operator boss Daniel Westerman has sounded the alarm that our energy transition is going way too slow. We need fast investment in new, clean electricity supply as coal stations close, the AFR ($) reports, and to bolster it — not with nuclear, as the Coalition frequently bleats — but pumped hydro, batteries and gas. Brisbane Times ($) reports Westerman says we actually have a strong pipeline of new generation projects — about 200 gigawatts across the country, equivalent to dozens of large coal-fired power stations, and 40 gigawatts of proposed grid-scale batteries. But not enough dosh. We’d better move fast — the AEMO reckons two-thirds of coal generation could be gone within six and a half years as generator owners shut up shop amid the falling price of solar and wind.

It comes as temperatures will drop well below freezing in parts of Tasmania, Victoria, the ACT and NSW today, news.com.au ($) reports, while tomorrow Sydney and its surrounds are forecast to see their coldest June day in about five years — 5 degrees. In Melbourne it’ll be colder — 4 degrees — while Hobart’s mercury will reach just 2 degrees. In Canberra, our pollies will shiver through -4 degrees this morning. The silver lining on this icy cloud is that ski resorts are getting some much-needed snow. A final bit of enviro news: the government will release its long-awaited critical minerals strategy today — federal Resources Minister Madeleine King says we’ll streamline approvals and earmark $500 million from NT development financier the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility — but it’s the only spending promise, The Australian ($) notes.

A HOUSE DIVIDED

The last week in Parliament wasn’t just shambolic, it was “toxic”, NDIS Minister Bill Shorten told ABC’s Q&A last night — from accusations that Finance Minister Katy Gallagher misled Parliament over what she knew about Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation to the fallout after independent Senator Lidia Thorpe (and then others, including former Liberal senator Amanda Stoker) accused then-Liberal Senator David Van of sexual assault. He denies it. But the Nationals’ Bridget McKenzie defended Gallagher’s grilling and said she wouldn’t change a thing about how the Coalition behaved last week. Interestingly, however, McKenzie commended Shorten for having “the toughest job in government”, and called the NDIS a “critical” scheme.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has met with the Sultan of Brunei, Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, in Canberra to form a new partnership. What do we have in common with the tiny nation? Trade and investment, food security, maritime security and the transition to net-zero carbon emissions as it turns out, the ABC reports. So what do we know about Brunei? For one, its coast is the South China Sea, so that’s tense (related: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese President Xi Jinping overnight, The Guardian reports, and both spoke of fixing their tumultuous relationship). Anyway, there are about half a million Brunei residents, and they enjoy one of the world’s highest standards of living because it’s fabulously rich from oil and gas. But media is controlled by the royal family, as the BBC tells it, and strict Islamic Sharia law is used to justify punishments such as stoning or even amputation for theft.

POWER FAILURES

Former senator and transparency crusader Rex Patrick will vote Yes in the Voice to Parliament referendum, but says it will serve only as a “constitutional lobby group, formally recognised, legislated and funded”. He writes for Michael West Media that creating a role for an Indigenous senator in each state and territory would be far more effective — a “permanent representation in Australia’s house of legislative review”. We have 12 senators in each of the six states (two for the territories) so it would mean eight of the 78 senators were Indigenous (10%). It comes as the historic legislation greenlighting the referendum passed the Senate yesterday — The Australian ($) reckons Albanese will announce the date of the referendum vote in August at the Garma Festival, and it’ll probably be mid-­October.

Meanwhile Traditional Owners in the Beetaloo Basin have told Guardian Australia they’re not being heard in the fight to stop fracking in the basin. It’s a region between Katherine and Tennant Creek that the Northern Land Council (NLC) is trying to protect — a Commonwealth-funded statutory authority. But “a number of” Indigenous leaders say they’ve been pressured to sign agreements with gas companies to frack their land. The NLC denies it.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE

We may have spotted Migaloo, considered by some to be the most famous whale in the world, for the first time in three years near the Great Barrier Reef — check out the footage. He’s named for the Indigenous term for “white fella” and pretty hard to miss owing to his pearly white albinoism that stands out in the big blue. He also sports some distinctive ridges on his flukes. It’s that time of year when whales go on holidays to shag — or, more scientifically, they embark on an annual migration from Antarctica to warmer waters to breed. Could Migaloo have albino babies? The Oceania Project’s Wally Franklin told Guardian Australia the guy would have to court another albino whale who carries the gene, which is a long shot considering our Migaloo is believed to be one of a kind.

Migaloo was discovered in 1991 aged two, meaning he’s in his early 30s right now. I like to imagine the millennial mammal spent the past decade working hard on his haunting singing voice — listen to it here. He tried to make it on whale Broadway, but times are tough in the arts, and maybe he ended up travelling off the beaten current instead, which would explain his absence. Considering the melting ice and warming sea temps, Migaloo may be facing a similar housing crisis to us. Despite these challenges, and unlike his sadistic cousins the orcas who are literally ramming boats for fun, I think Migaloo’s attitude would be one of peace. He’s different, and at 34, he’s come to embrace self-love. It’s fan fiction because we don’t really know much about him. His literary counterpart, Moby-Dick, may have met a hunter, but thankfully Migaloo has layers of legal protection that forbid boats from coming within 500 metres of him. May Migaloo grow old, wild and free.

Wishing you the serenity of a whale today.

SAY WHAT?

I’ve been on the wrong end of Andrew Probyn’s excellent journalism in my political life, but to see the ABC, our public broadcaster, not have a political editor in Parliament press gallery I find is incredible.

Bridget McKenzie

The Nationals senator hasn’t exactly received glowing coverage from Probyn, who famously broke the story about her colour-coded-by-political-party grant application sheet in the sports rorts saga. But that doesn’t mean McKenzie can’t see the importance of the job, which was made redundant in a shock cull last week.

CRIKEY RECAP

How to capture a state: lessons from PwC and the fossil fuel giants

BERNARD KEANE

“The failure of Labor to substantially improve what is widely seen as a badly broken tax was the result of lobbying by major political donors Woodside, Santos and multinational Chevron. Their lobbying was so successful that Woodside’s outlook was actually upgraded the day after the budget. The companies effectively deployed the WA Labor government — closely aligned with the fossil fuel companies that dominate the state economy (former WA Labor treasurer Ben Wyatt is a Woodside board member) in the negotiations with the Albanese government — to assist in the task.

“As Phillip Coorey wisely pointed out, the Albanese government’s determination to hold its hard-won WA seats was a factor in going easy on the companies. When it comes to securing positive tax outcomes from governments, the fossil fuel industry remains deeply and successfully embedded within government, regardless of the change in the party in charge in Canberra.”

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Search under way as Titanic tourist sub goes missing in Atlantic (Al Jazeera)

Alexei Navalny: Putin critic facing decades in prison as new trial begins (BBC)

Xi, Blinken agree to stabilise US-China relations in Beijing talks (Reuters)

Judge orders Trump lawyers not to disclose evidence in documents case (The Guardian)

Russia claims to have remotely detonated tank laden with explosives, in apparent new tactic (CNN)

Amazon, Starbucks and Adidas among 40 companies to hire and train 250,000 refugees across Europe (euronews)

Christian teacher loses registration after refusing to use trans student’s pronouns (NZ Herald)

THE COMMENTARIAT

The world’s fish are shrinking as the climate warms. We’re trying to figure out why — Timothy Clark (The Conversation): “Warmer water means smaller fish, but why? The most popular current theories suggest the cause is due to a mismatch between how much oxygen a fish needs (to sustain its body’s metabolism) and how much it can get (via its gills). The argument is that fish gills do not grow at the same pace as the rest of their bodies. Once a fish reaches a certain body size, its gills can only supply enough oxygen to keep its body running — there is no oxygen left over for growth.

“What does this have to do with warming? The next step of the argument says fish use more oxygen in warmer water — but their gills don’t get any bigger. So fish reach the limit of their growth at a smaller size, leading to the temperature–size rule. This ‘oxygen mismatch’ theory has sparked heated debate among global scientists, largely because insufficient data exist to confirm or refute it. To get some data, we have carried out long-term experiments keeping fish under warmer water conditions than normal. We also tried providing extra oxygen, to see if it benefited their growth.”

Here’s how to save the Voice campaign, Gruen-style —  Russel Howcroft and Freddie Young (The Age) ($): “Yes needs to realise it has many millions of people willing to help campaign, and harness that effort. Just as we saw with the vaccine rollout, where celebrities and anyone with a Twitter handle posted pics of getting pricked, the public must start creating their own campaigns and get behind Yes. This will happen organically on social media, but brands, corporates, sporting bodies, philanthropists, social clubs, small enterprises, small businesses, ethnic groups and religious groups all must generate their own Yes messaging. It doesn’t need to be slick to be effective. But it does need to create what The Castle called ‘the vibe’.

“The lesson learnt from the vaccine campaign was that there was actually no ‘owner’ of the message. We did not have to wait for the Health Department to needle people into getting vaccinated. It was in everyone’s interest if they didn’t want to spend the rest of their lives locked inside. And everyone who felt inclined was perfectly able and free to promote the message. This is how we got #VaxTheNation and many other non-official campaigns up and running. Yes needs the same culture of effort, ideas and goodwill. There must be no owner of Yes. No elite driver of the outcome. It is for everyone and needs to be sold by everyone.”

HOLD THE FRONT PAGE

WHAT’S ON TODAY

Yuggera and Turrbal Country (also known as Brisbane)

• Scientific futurist Catherine Ball will talk about her new book, Converge, at Avid Reader bookshop.

Kulin Nation Country (also known as Melbourne)

• Director Maude Davey, comedian Sammy J, performer Vidya Rajan, and artist Richard Watts will be at Art on the Fringe: Forty Years of Melbourne Fringe, at the State Library of Victoria.

• Foxtel Group’s Rebecca McCloy, More Than Management’s Alexandra Saundry, the Victorian government’s Sarah Styles and Tennis Australia’s Craig Tiley will talk about ensuring equal opportunities for our female sportspeople in an event at Marvel Stadium.