In case you missed it: Labor's horror movie

'In case you missed it' is a lighter take on recent events in Australian politics and energy.

Labor's horror movie

It was the news that made Labor powerbrokers wish they had installed Peter Garrett as trade minister. Craig Emerson, the real trade minister, went viral with a rendition of the Skyhooks hit ‘Horror movie'. His version centred on the line “No Whyalla wipe out there on my TV”. It was a sound message but it didn't quite hit the mark, if the social media reaction is any guide.

The ALP reportedly had another song ready to go last week but decided to err on the side of caution and keep a timely Julia Gillard interpretation of Cher's ‘If I could turn back time' out of the public arena:

‘If I could turn back boats. If I could find a way. I'd send back all those boats that have landed and I'd stay.

‘If I could reach Malaysia. I'd send the boats to them. Then you'd love me, love me, like you used to do.'

Despite the Emerson backlash, rumour has it the Libs and the Greens are working on their own songs. On the cutting room floor for the Coalition is a Tony Abbott adaptation of the Queen classic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody'. Fortunately, we have gained unprecedented access to it:

‘Mama,
I will kill the tax,
Put a gun against its head, pull the trigger
then it's dead
Mama... the tax has just begun,
But soon I'll go and throw it all away'

There would of course be a certain irony in Abbott singing a Queen song.

Meanwhile, Christine Milne has taken the attacks on her party from senior Labor figures with much disappointment, that may lead to a rendition of ‘(The ALP) That I Used To Know' – conveniently tapping into the youth vote that is so enamoured with the Gotye hit ‘Somebody that I Used to Know'. It will probably be countered by the Labor Right singing the chorus of The Beatles' classic ‘Get back'.

Yallourn's uncertain climate

The intermittency of coal power is proving quite the problem in Victoria, with flooding of the Yallourn power station and associated coal mine soon followed by an earthquake shock and more flooding, leaving it out of full service for a number of weeks – and unlikely to be operating normally for months. Indeed, some of the pictures make it look more like a hydro facility than a coal power plant.

It has been no laughing matter for the owner of the plant, TRUenergy, with its parent (CLP Holdings) issuing a profit warning on the back of the news. One can't help but see the irony, however, of extreme weather wreaking havoc on coal power.

A bit of a stretch

Federal Energy Minister Martin Ferguson has thrown his support behind the coal seam gas sector through a comparison with wind farms.

"Putting a coal seam gas wellhead on a farm is no different to putting (in) a wind turbine," he said at a Queensland Tourism Industry Council breakfast. "It represents a potential source of income and makes that farm more profitable over time."

No different to a wind farm? That's a little like saying growing a carrot is no different to growing a lemon tree or, bear with me on this one, Kim Kardashian is no different to Meryl Streep (they both provide a potential source of income for their employer's, even if one may not be particularly good for the health of society).

The first carbon tax-related job loss

It happened within a week, the first job loss that could actually be attributed to the carbon tax. Bet you didn't expect the Coalition to cop flak for it though? The head of bakery chain Brumby's resigned after telling his franchisees they could raise prices and blame it on the carbon price, in a manner of speaking. Actually, that was pretty much exactly what he said in an internal newsletter. With the ACCC circling, Managing Director Deane Priest resigned and Retail Food Group, the owner of Brumby's, reached agreement with the ACCC to avoid any fines.

Labor's climate change minister Greg Combet came out on the attack, saying the news was the result of the Liberals' scare campaign of the legislation, which made businesses believe they could get away with blaming the carbon tax for price rises.

Quotable:

Green pioneer Colin Barnett and the renewable gas industry

A recent ABC interview with Colin Barnett perhaps didn't go quite to plan for the WA premier.

Critical of the carbon tax, according to AAP, Barnett said it would have been cheaper and simpler to legislate the:

“Increasing use of renewables, in particular natural gas in power generation.”

To be fair, there is so much gas in WA it can almost seem as if it is renewable.

The first ‘In Case You Missed It' can be found here.

You can follow Daniel Palmer on Twitter @Danielbpalmer.