We Used to Have a Name for Places That Couldn’t Keep the Power On
The New South Wales State Government urged Sydneysiders to limit their use of electricity last week as temperatures pushed into the 40s.
Energy Minister Penny Sharpe called on businesses and households to reduce electricity use from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. to avoid blackouts.
Now, when I was a kid, we called places that didn’t have enough electricity ‘third world countries’.
These days, we call them renewable energy superpowers!
Pretty Please
Penny Sharpe told journalists:
“We are asking households and businesses to look at what they can defer between 5 and 9 o’clock tonight.”
Hilarious.
We have so much power generated by solar during the day that there is an excess, but by the time we all get home from work, there’s a shortage.
She continued:
“If you can turn your air conditioning up a little bit, over 24 is fantastic. If you can make sure you don’t use your dryers or your dishwashers or pool pumps between 5pm and 9pm tonight, that will all help.”
What if I need to go somewhere?
I’m guessing that if I’m not supposed to be washing the dishes, I’m definitely not supposed to be charging my Tesla.
First, the Government begged me to buy an electric car. Then they begged me not to use it.
What do I do with my EV? Put the family in it and push it to the shops?
Completely Avoidable
Penny Sharpe added:
“Every small bit of action that we can take will make it much easier to make sure that the grid stays on.”
She said the lack of power was due to two factors — high demand, and maintenance issues at a coal-powered fire station.
What she neglected to say was that both of these things are issues the political class has created!
If the government didn’t continually import more people, demand for power wouldn’t be so high.
And if the government didn’t continually shut down coal-fired power stations while, at the same time, disincentivising maintenance on the few that remain, supply wouldn’t be so low.
It’s hot. And the government stinks.
___
Originally published at The James Macpherson Report.
Subscribe to his Substack here for daily witty commentary.
Photo by Ben Mack.
3 Comments
Leave A Comment
Recent Articles:
28 August 2026
1.4 MINS
When floods hit Nepal, killing dozens and leaving Australians missing, the Greens found their villain: Australian coal. A look at climate politics' newest ritual — the search for a sinner.
28 August 2026
3.5 MINS
Alice Springs' Greens-backed mayor had her car stolen — then refused to press charges. James Macpherson asks why the progressive answer to rising crime is to fix the narrative instead of the crime.
28 August 2026
2.6 MINS
Thomas Aquinas questioned Muhammad’s credentials to speak for God. His question remains uncomfortably relevant.
28 August 2026
5 MINS
Politics feels exhausting and toxic, but William Wilberforce's story shows why Christians shouldn't retreat from public life. His crisis of faith and calling offers a model for today.
27 August 2026
2.5 MINS
According to the bombshell report, the Biden administration told agencies to treat restrictions on these drugs as discrimination. The Trump administration now wants hospitals investigated.
27 August 2026
2.6 MINS
Religious leaders are urging Labor to exempt faith-based charities from its new 30 per cent discretionary trust tax, warning the reform could severely cut philanthropic funding for vulnerable Australians.
26 August 2026
1.6 MINS
Victoria's cults inquiry report lacks clear definitions and religious freedom safeguards. ACL welcomes support for survivors but warns mainstream churches and homeschooling families could be wrongly caught up.
Hmmm 🤨. I wonder where Ms Sharpe lives. Odds on that it’s not in the western suburbs of Sydney where there are melting hot temperatures with no coastal nor’easter in the afternoon to provide relief.
“And if the government didn’t continually shut down coal-fired power stations while, at the same time, disincentivising maintenance on the few that remain, supply wouldn’t be so low.”
Why would governments and Power Station owners put money into maintaining Coal Fired Power Stations when all the talk is about shutting them down.
Expect more breakdowns and blackouts in the future.
Australia is now in the words of former Prime Minister Keating “a Banana Republic “, and, governed by a bunch of clowns with less intelligence than the animals in the Zoo ! How will Australia have the electricity to manufacture defence equipment or effect repairs to them ? Makes me glad I no longer live on the mainland with all its MADNESS !