Rudd acts

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Last updated on July 13th, 2017 at 01:50 pm

A first act:

One of Mr Rudd’s first acts as prime minister will be to move to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

And another first act:

Appointing a petrol price commissioner to monitor big oil companies will be one of the incoming Labor government’s first acts, Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd says.

For his second act, Mr Rudd will explain how cheaper fuel helps Australia meet its Kyoto emissions target.

Posted by Tim B. on 11/30/2007 at 12:08 AM
    1. Cheaper fuel will allow working families to better afford climate change conferences in Bali.

      Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2007 11 30 at 12:16 AM • permalink

 

    1. And for his third act, Mr. Rudd will disclose how much the Federal Government makes on every gallon(litre) of gas.

      Posted by yojimbo on 2007 11 30 at 12:21 AM • permalink

 

    1. Third act: the conversion of his government car to run on auricular wax.

      Posted by Honkie Hammer on 2007 11 30 at 12:21 AM • permalink

 

    1. Why would Rudd try to meet the Kyoto target? He said he’s going to ratify it, not abide by it. Step 2 is glowing articles in the press explaining that while Australia emits 1.5% of the world’s carbon dioxide, it only produces 1.5% of the world’s goods and services.

      Posted by bgates on 2007 11 30 at 12:32 AM • permalink

 

    1. Except KRudd isn’t promising cheaper fuel:

      Mr Rudd said he could not promise that petrol prices would be lower.

      “As I said before the election, I cannot guarantee a petrol price or a grocery price or a house price,” he said.

      “What I can say is that we can through competition policy have a petrol price commissioner.

      I’m still trying to figure out what the last sentence means.

      Posted by Kami on 2007 11 30 at 12:32 AM • permalink

 

    1. #3
      Aren’t they developing a new car, called the Cerumen?It’s Rudd’s answer to the Button Plan.

      Posted by kae on 2007 11 30 at 12:33 AM • permalink

 

    1. #5

      Except KRudd isn’t promising cheaper fuel:

      Mr Rudd said he could not promise that petrol prices would be lower.

      “As I said before the election, I cannot guarantee a petrol price or a grocery price or a house price,” he said.

      “What I can say is that we can through competition policy have a petrol price commissioner.

      I’m still trying to figure out what the last sentence means.

      But I’ll look into it.

      Posted by kae on 2007 11 30 at 12:34 AM • permalink

 

    1. The PM-elect has an extensive list of reforms for his first 100 days of office, writes Annabel Stafford.

      Our Left wing “useful idiots” also had a 100 day plan, but Ahmadinejad wouldn’t accept their surrender offer.

      Posted by El Cid on 2007 11 30 at 12:35 AM • permalink

 

    1. #5 It means I have a person I want to be my friend who needs a job.

      Posted by Pa Feral on 2007 11 30 at 12:36 AM • permalink

 

    1. So Rudd’s going to give the ACCC teeth ‘eh?

      Quick duck!
      Pigs flying!

      Posted by Bonmot on 2007 11 30 at 12:39 AM • permalink

 

    1. kae – I think he means he will give the ACCC more power – this is his competition policy.  But the ACCC have conducted about 30 enquiries into petrol pricing and are happy with it, and they don’t really want more power, as they have already shown a remarkable ability not to successfully prosecute anyone for this kind of market abuse.

      PF – the rubbing of hands from labor / union staffers for cushy govt jobs can be heard around the nation.  Those promises have to be kept you know.

      Posted by peter m on 2007 11 30 at 12:42 AM • permalink

 

    1. #7 kae
      He can’t guarantee lower prices but he’ll look into it.
      Is George Orwell writing his blather now?Bit like Dr Kark Krinkenicksbumpersticker who claimed he was so worried about GW he was going to do something about it.

      He was going to run for the senate for the Climate Change Coalition*.

      Gee, that should make a difference!

      *Hmmm climate change coalition. Are they for it or agin it?

      Posted by Bonmot on 2007 11 30 at 12:44 AM • permalink

 

    1. Fuel Subsidy Inquiry, Qld.
      We had an inquiry up here.
      If you have some time go there and have a quick perusal of the transcripts, looking particularly for the ones by the Petrol companies and how they applied the 8c per litre government rebate.
      Which it seems they pocketed. (After cooking the books.)The inquiry achieved 4/5 of 5/8 of fuckall.

      Posted by kae on 2007 11 30 at 12:53 AM • permalink

 

    1. It’s all just an act.

      Posted by anthony_r on 2007 11 30 at 12:58 AM • permalink

 

    1. Cheaper petrol prices mean people are more likely to drive to corner shop instead of walking. Walking causes more global warming then driving a car, hence lower petrol prices are good for the environment.

      See it all makes sense.

      Posted by sam on 2007 11 30 at 12:58 AM • permalink

 

    1. The retail market for petrol is relatively competitive in Australia given the web of government regulation surrounding petrol retailing and the Federal excise on fuel. The only way to lower petrol prices would be remove this regulation or reduce taxes. I can’t see either of these things happening under Rudd.

      A petrol price commissioner is purely window dressing.

      Posted by Art Vandelay on 2007 11 30 at 01:12 AM • permalink

 

    1. The next three years is going to be like shooting fish in a barrel for Tim.  And, I doubt he, or the rest of us RWDB/VRWC, will run out of ammo any time soon.

      Posted by Razor on 2007 11 30 at 01:15 AM • permalink

 

    1. They all die in the Third Act, Right?

      Alas poor Garrett, I knew him well…so well in fact I could not trust him with the portfolio… etc

      Posted by Big Jim on 2007 11 30 at 01:20 AM • permalink

 

    1. Anyone familiar with PC Copperfield or remember The Diplomad?  A nice model for some of our Public Servants to emulate.

      Or they could feed Shennanigan News to TimB.  There would be plenty of entertaining stuff.

      Posted by Brett_McS on 2007 11 30 at 01:49 AM • permalink

 

    1. Yes. But will any of this affect beer fridges?

      Posted by andycanuck on 2007 11 30 at 01:49 AM • permalink

 

    1. Problem solved by ABC scientific whiz Robyn Williams.Tells NSW conference for Seniors that i his world there will be NO CARS by 2030.

      HTF does this guy get any scientific cred from ABC?

      Posted by watty on 2007 11 30 at 02:27 AM • permalink

 

    1. He wants to lower petrol prices so that when he slaps on a carbon tax, the price hike won’t scare the pants off too many people.

      Sorry, carbon levy, or greenhouse gas contribution.  Can’t call a planet saving impost a “tax”.

      Posted by mr creosote on 2007 11 30 at 02:27 AM • permalink

 

    1. Art vdL A petrol price commissioner is purely window dressing.

      Yeah, but pronounce it ‘Commissar’ and it has a certain retro chic

      Posted by Big Jim on 2007 11 30 at 02:29 AM • permalink

 

    1. Yeah, but pronounce it ‘Commissar’ and it has a certain retro chic

      Big Jim, then I guess we can expect petrol shortages, rationing, queues and corruption.

      But, at least the uniforms will look snappy.

      Posted by Art Vandelay on 2007 11 30 at 03:23 AM • permalink

 

    1. Hehe Sir Humphrey Appleby is now the PM …

      Posted by egg_ on 2007 11 30 at 03:43 AM • permalink

 

    1. KRudd and his mates down at the ACTU could set up Trade Union operated petrol stations to provide some real competition to Big Oil.

      The ACTU has form in this regard, having sucessfully operated, er… operated…the Solo fuel business some decades back (it disappeared so thoroughly it’s hard to find any trace of it I’m sad to report).

      Posted by Ubique on 2007 11 30 at 05:23 AM • permalink

 

    1. #13 that would have to be the biggest joke of an inquiry on petrol I have ever had the misfortune to read.  It is not rocket science, but straightforward economics, that if you pay a consumer subsidy directly to the supplier they will extract rent.  The only way to make sure the consumer benefits is to pay it directly to the consumer..  The Qld government isn’t interested in that though, as such a scheme would cost too much to run.

      So what did the brains trust come up with? A benchmark weekly price.  In other words, the rent is still extracted by the oil company, and we pay more overall as the benchmark eliminates the weekly lows in petrol prices.  FFS.

      Posted by entropy on 2007 11 30 at 05:27 AM • permalink

 

    1. #18 They all die in the Third Act, Right?

      Alas poor Garrett, I knew him well..

      ‘—A man of infinite jest and attacks of jocularity.’

      Posted by Barrie on 2007 11 30 at 05:41 AM • permalink

 

    1. #27
      e-yupI told you, 4/5 of 5/8 of… y’know.

      Posted by kae on 2007 11 30 at 05:41 AM • permalink

 

    1. And for his third act he could (at one performance) say Sorry to the aboriginals for the shafting they allegedly got back then (i.e. when trying to drag at least some of them out of a moribund lifestyle) and Sorry again for the shafting they are about to get when the intervention is shelved and their moribund lifestyle is allowed (again) to bite them on the bum big time.

      Posted by blogstrop on 2007 11 30 at 07:17 AM • permalink

 

    1. #27
      It is the ALP, you know.#30
      Shouldn’t that be $orry and $orry?

      Posted by kae on 2007 11 30 at 07:25 AM • permalink

 

    1. Price controls always reduce the supply (all the cheap petrol you want if we have any) and that helps meet the Kyoto goals, since they won’t have any.

      Price controls also work on housing, if you want to make it scarce.

      Posted by rhhardin on 2007 11 30 at 08:12 AM • permalink

 

    1. Ha! Whilst tap-dancing up a storm, no doubt.

      Posted by mojo on 2007 11 30 at 11:40 AM • permalink

 

    1. Appointing a petrol price commissioner to monitor big oil companies will be one of the incoming Labor government’s first acts, Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd says.

      That would be easy to implement. Hire somebody at minimum wage, print up business cards reading Petrol Price Commissioner, furnish him (or her) with a clip board and a bicycle, and send him (or her) around making notes of prices, thus monitoring big oil companies, and little ones as well.

      Posted by ErnieG on 2007 11 30 at 12:06 PM • permalink

 

    1. Shouldn’t that be Petrol Comissar?

      Posted by watty on 2007 12 01 at 12:07 AM • permalink

 

    1. #26 The ACTU ran solo into the ground – was bought by Ampol which then shut most of the sites – as you can imagine union lackeys know very little about business & had a great collection of shitty sites in poor locations. Some of the better ones became Ampol , which was merged with Caltex – now most Ampol sites have gone – the only Ampol I can recall seeing in recent years is the Overlander Roadhouse on the way to Shark Bay .

      Posted by baraka on 2007 12 01 at 03:27 AM • permalink

 

  1. the only Ampol I can recall seeing in recent years is the Overlander Roadhouse on the way to Shark Bay .
    and on the Princes Hwy at Bomaderry, (a Liberal held seat).

    Posted by surfmaster on 2007 12 01 at 07:38 AM • permalink