The Institute of Public Affairs’ Daniel Wild appeared on The Rita Panahi Show Sky News Australia to contextualise and disseminate the IPA’s research on net zero.
All media posted onto the IPA website are directly related to the promotion and dissemination of IPA research.
Below is a transcript of the interview.
Rita Panahi:
Joining me now is Deputy Executive Director of the Institute of Public Affairs, Dan Wild. Dan, let’s start with the food industry in revolt over the Albanese Government’s renewable energy targets, major food distributors are copping power bill increases of over 50% independent food distributors Australia, whose members use large industrial fridges and freezers to supply food to over 60,000 supermarkets, restaurants and cafes. They’ve called on Labour to invest in coal and gas to return energy prices to more affordable levels. Dan, their warning that the ideological folly of the Labour Party is impacting the viability of these businesses.
Daniel Wild:
Well, they’re absolutely spot on and I think it’s refreshing to hear an industry association speak some common sense about what’s happening. I mean, many of their members are basically at the front line of the energy crisis in terms of how it impacts everyday people with food prices. And absolutely, we need to have more coal and more gas in the system in order to get prices down.
I mean, you and I have been saying this for years and years. You have to have baseload power, which operates 24/7, rain, hail or shine to have a modern economy in society like we have in Australia. And it wasn’t surprising unfortunately, to hear Chris Bowen immediately reject this intervention into the debate and he’s doubling down on labor’s failed energy policy, which is renewables only, renewables everywhere.
And when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine, then there’s no power generated and we fall back on coal and gas. So, like I say, this is a very welcomed and important intervention into the debate, and hopefully it spurs some common sense in Canberra.
Rita Panahi:
Well, I don’t know if we’re going to see much common sense. You mentioned Chris Bowen. It’s not just him. The Albanese government’s minister seeming capable of shifting their focus from net-zero obsessions and they also have this absolute refusal to consider nuclear as a solution. Here’s Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.
Tanya Plibersek:
The simple thing we know is it’s too expensive, it’s too slow, and it’ll add 1,200 bucks to your bills if ever they get built.
Rita Panahi:
There you go. According to her, it’s going to add $1,200 to our power bills. It’s too expensive. It’s too slow. And yet the experience around the world is very different, Dan.
Daniel Wild:
Yeah. She might’ve got her notes mixed up. I think the $1,200 is what Labour has had to your power bills over the last three years. The problem here is there’s just no credibility from the government on this issue. When nuclear was first floated, they put out memes of three-eyed fish and radiation and all the rest of it, and they failed to actually engage in a proper debate. So, that’s the first thing. They haven’t actually treated this with the respect and dignity it deserves. They’ve dismissed it.
Secondly, they’ve got no credibility because just look at what’s happened under their government. Have prices gone up or gone down? Have we had more jobs in industry or fewer jobs? Has life gotten easier or harder? It’s pretty straightforward. So, if they had to run this argument three years ago, well, maybe they’d have some cut through. But I think Australians look at this and they say, “Well, you’ve been in government for three years. What have you done for me lately?”
Rita Panahi:
Now, Lidia Thorpe seems oblivious to the fact that we have some very strong defamation laws in this country. Listen to these comments she made about opposition leader, Peter Dutton, quite remarkable.
Lidia Thorpe:
Dutton is a racist. Dutton is a violent person. Dutton used to be a Queensland police officer who caused damage to a lot of Black fellas on the street, wielding his power around the streets. So, I’m not surprised by his rhetoric. It’s what we need to eradicate in this country.
White people are becoming the minority in this country, and I think they’re really scared of that. Black and brown people are rising up and they’re getting more and more desperate in their messaging.
Rita Panahi:
So, she describes Peter Dutton there as racist, violent. What do you make of those comments there, Dan, including what she said about white Australians?
Daniel Wild:
Well, I think Lidia Thorpe is probably the biggest asset that the Liberal Party has. To be honest with you, we owe Lidia Thorpe a great debt of gratitude for helping to defeat the racially divisive voice to parliament. And she’s probably going to help make Peter Dutton the next prime minister, because I just think the more Australians hear of these accusations of racism, and the rest of it, I think they look at that, and firstly, it just doesn’t stack up. I don’t think she gave any particular examples of it.
And secondly, look, Australia’s not a racist country. We’re sick and tired of being told that. And her comments about white Australians and Black Australians is divisive. I mean, this just goes down the path of division that we’re seeing from these activists. They’ve got nothing positive to offer only more division. And I would’ve thought they’d learnt their lesson from the whole Voice to Parliament debate.
And what we’re seeing now with a rejection of work identity politics and Australians pushing back against a treaty and the rest of it, but some of them just continue. But like I say, I think the more that she talks, the more primary votes the Liberal Party will get.
Rita Panahi:
Now to the US, Donald Trump’s impact is being felt far and wide. We’re going to be discussing the tariffs shortly. But the president signed an executive order requiring US federal employees to remove pronouns from their names, from things like email signatures. And this is having impact all around the world. Dan, we’ve heard about Sadiq Khan removing pronouns from his Twitter bio. And Chris Mintz, the New South Wales Premier, is also abiding by this presidential order.
Let’s look at his Instagram profile before. There you go. He/him as if it needs to be said and the pronouns are now gone. Dan, his office is claiming that he wasn’t even aware that the pronouns were added in the first place. But really things have changed. There has been a change in the culture. There’s been a change in the narrative here, and people are beginning to realise, even people on the left, just how ridiculous this whole notion is.
Daniel Wild:
Yeah. That’s right. I mean, it’s good to know Chris Mintz is a man. I think a lot of people probably struggled to figure that out on their own accord. So, good that we’ve settled that one. Look, I think you’re right. The election of Trump was quite significant. It came on the back of the defeat of the Voice to Parliament as well, and Brexit and many other movements in the western world.
And basically, what’s happened is regular people are feeling more confident in voicing their opinions on these issues. I’d also say not just on the woke identity politics, but also on climate change and migration, which were always considered controversial topics. People are now much more comfortable in expressing their true opinions. They now know that they’re not in a minority. Every normal person is sick and tired of seeing the usual carry-on on email signatures or the diversity hires and all of the mandates that go with it.
So, we are seeing a lot of social proof, and like I say, people are finding their voices. There’s a lot of political standard-bearers that are now speaking up. So, I am quite hopeful that the era of DEI is now coming to an end. It’s going to take some time to eradicate it from our public offices and also the big corporates. But clearly things have changed, I think in a very positive way over the last 12 to 18 months.
Rita Panahi:
Now, Donald Trump’s tariffs are seeing the Canadian and Mexican currencies in free fall. Their value is diving. The North American trade war is well and truly underway. Dan, how do you see this progressing and in this Australia in position to capitalise?
Daniel Wild:
Yeah. Well, I think no one’s safe from Trump, really. He’s going to change the global order in a lot of ways, and not just with economics in with regards to Canada and Mexico, but he’s wanting to exert more influence over Greenland. He wants to take back the Panama Canal. He’s been very active in the Middle East and in Russia and in China. So, I think next stop is probably Antarctica for who knows what he’s going to do there. So, no one is safe from when Trump turns his sights onto you.
Look for Australia, there’s opportunities, but there’s big risks. We have been somewhat recalcitrant in our capacity to deliver on our defence commitments, particularly around our spending. We only spend about 2% of GDP on defence. That needs to get to at least 3%, and it also needs to be spent much more effectively and in a manner that’s actually going to provide serious warfighting capabilities.
And we saw last time Trump was in … He basically forced the NATO allies to start increasing their spending on defence is also a gripe that he has with Canada. And it’s probably fairly legitimate in that sense. So, we are going to have to be very careful and make sure that we’re paying attention to the considerations of the Trump administration. We shouldn’t just do whatever he says or wants, but we do need to be aware of the alliance and our role in that alliance.
Rita Panahi:
Well, it’s all about America first with Donald Trump, that was his election promise, and that’s what he’s delivering. But that doesn’t mean he’s not paying attention to what’s happening around the world. And President Trump has hit out at South Africa after its president signed a new law, allowing the state to confiscate land without compensation. President Trump has vowed to withhold all US funding from South Africa until the decision is reversed. Dan, one more, can you tell me about this?
Daniel Wild:
Well, South Africa has been in a period of decline in division for many years now. And the hundreds of thousands of people who have left South Africa, many of whom have come to Australia, is testament to that. They have fled. And the violence there and the crime and the deterioration of their institutions has been a big concern for a long time. And Trump seems pretty set on trying to correct that where he can.
And clearly, I mean, the US is such a big player in the global market, whether it’s to do with the economic side of it or as we’re discussing the foreign aid side of it, that when they decide to change their arrangements, they do have significant leverage over what other countries do. So, look, we’ll wait and see what happens. But clearly, I think a lot of people have been looking at South Africa for some time and a change may very well be on the way.
Rita Panahi:
Now, before you go, Dan, I know a lot of our viewers are members of Qantas’s Frequent Fly programme, so they’ll be interested in this story. The Australian reports that Qantas is again under fly for the poor value of its Frequent Fly programme after it was revealed that members of rival airline loyalty programmes can access Qantas reward seats for much cheaper and less points than the Qantas Frequent Flyers. Let’s look at this example.
If you book through Alaskan Airlines, you can get a Qantas business class seat from Perth to Paris for just 85,000 miles plus $122. But if you want to use Qantas’s own programme to book that Qantas seat, it’s going to cost you $451 and more than 126,000 points, exact same seat. Alaska Air’s mileage programme is also free, Dan, whilst Qantas charge $99 to join their Frequent Flyer programme. How do they justify this? Because when you do fly Qantas, you do pay a premium and you do it to support the national carrier, but they don’t seem to be treating their customers with the love and care you’d expect.
Daniel Wild:
Well, I think the issue here is the lack of domestic competition in Australia. I mean, basically, you can choose between Qantas or Virgin or Jetstar. But of course, Jetstar is a subsidiary of Qantas. So, there’s not much you can really do. There’s not many shopping around opportunities in our domestic market. So, Qantas can get away with charging comparatively higher prices than they otherwise would.
We saw the anticompetitive tendencies of this government just over the last couple of years with the decision to stop Qatar Airways from running more routes into Australia. And that, of course, benefits the largest incumbent, which is Qantas. So, look, I think if you remove some of the barriers to entry in the Australian aviation market, you will see more pressure on Qantas and Virgin and maybe they’ll start charging a fairer price, but I certainly won’t be holding my breath.
Rita Panahi:
Dan Wild, thank you for your time tonight.
This transcript from The Rita Panahi Show Sky News Australia from 3 February 2025 has been edited for clarity.
