$6 billion Snowy purchase agreed

After nearly a year of negotiations, the Commonwealth Government has reached an agreement with the New South Wales and Victorian Governments to take full ownership of Snowy Hydro, as the first step to its proposed Snowy 2.0 project. Under the deal, flagged in the 2017 Federal Budget, NSW will get $4.154 billion and Victoria $2.077 […]

Australia’s biodiversity strategy a ‘global embarrassment’

Australia’s premier alliance of conservation organisations has called the Federal Government’s new biodiversity strategy a weak and disappointing document which will do nothing to address concerns about reduction in biodiversity. The Government released a draft ‘Australia’s Strategy for Nature 2018-2030’ document just before Christmas. The 17 page report is intended to replace the much more […]

Another City Deal pre-announcement – this time it’s Geelong

The Prime Minister’s southern tour is taking on the look of an election campaign. One morning it’s the promise of a City Deal for Hobart (noticeably devoid of any actual projects or funding), that afternoon it’s a re-announcement of Launceston’s City Deal, the next day after a hop across the Bass Strait Geelong gets a […]

City Deal for Hobart – eventually

Tasmania’s capital Hobart will become the fifth Australian city to sign up to the Federal Government’s City Deal program, well after cross-island rival Launceston. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman have announced they will “help make a City Deal for Hobart a reality” – consistent with the Federal Government’s strategy of announcing […]

Cabinet reshuffle means new Local Government Minister

In the shadow of Christmas. Australia had a reshuffle of its Federal Government ministries. The big news was with the senior positions, such as the replacement of George Brandis as Attorney-General by Western Australian Christian Porter, but the process also saw a new Minister for Local Government. He is Queenslander John McVeigh, member for Groom, […]

SA goes it alone on Murray-Darling Royal Commission

South Australia will launch its own Royal Commission into the allocation of water under the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement. The moves follows a number of damning reports on allegations of water theft and mismanagement, and what the South Australian Government regards as a coverup by the Federal and NSW Government. The issue has been brewing for […]

COAG energy meeting kicks the can down the road

Australia faces at least six more months without a national energy policy. The meeting of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Energy Council deferred until April 2018 any decision on whether to adopt the Federal Government’s National Energy Guarantee (NEG) plan. The states did not sign up for the NEG, but asked for more modelling, […]

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