The Basslink cable

I reckon if you have a solar panel on your house, Matthew Groom should be round at some time in the next month with at least a carton of beer to say thanks.  Seriously though, it would be great to know exactly what the energy situation is.

I appreciate the fact that perceptions and confidence are important and the Tasmanian government does not want to give the impression of a situation beyond their control or of weakness in the economy.  However, if we really have an energy crisis and large companies such as Norske Skog are having to cut production as a result, it is well beyond time for some plain talk on the subject.  The community could have been part of the solution. 
No liberal politician will want to use a sentence with the words, ‘Climate,’ and, ‘Change,’ in it, but it wouldn’t have been hard to point to the predicted continuation of dry weather and unexpected damage to the undersea cable as a reason for all Tasmanians to take a more conservative approach to their energy usage until normal service was restored.  The minister didn’t have to go around distributing candles, but a little bit of information reminding us that energy could potentially become a precious commodity in the future might have reduced the huge amount of electricity that is wasted in households and businesses around the state every day.  Surely this would look a whole lot more proactive than sitting on their hands through summer hoping for rain and now importing expensive and dirty diesel generators as short term replacements.