Does SA have the 'highest energy prices' in the nation?

Editor's note

Greetings from Adelaide, where deputy environment + energy editor Madeleine De Gabriele and I have been following the South Australian election campaign and responding to FactCheck requests from readers.

In a bumper FactCheck, Dylan McConnell and David Blowers test SA Liberal leader Steven Marshall’s claims that South Australia has the “highest energy prices” in the nation and “the least reliable grid”, and that SA Labor renewable investment decisions are to blame.

And in the midst of a strong campaign from the Australian Hotels Association against Nick Xenophon’s proposed poker machine reforms, Fabrizio Carmignani and Saul Eslake examine the association’s claim that “many” of 26,000 hotel jobs would be lost if the SA Best plan became a reality. (Spoiler: it’s a gross exaggeration.)

South Australians, if there’s something you’d like checked before you cast your vote on Saturday, let us know by emailing checkit@theconversation.edu.au.

We thank the University of South Australia for supporting FactCheck as our expert authors tackle misinformation in this unpredictable election.

Lucinda Beaman

FactCheck Editor

Top story

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill, SA Liberal leader Steven Marshall and SA Best leader Nick Xenophon at a leaders’ debate hosted by the ABC. AAP Image/Morgan Sette

FactCheck: does South Australia have the 'highest energy prices' in the nation and 'the least reliable grid'?

Dylan McConnell, University of Melbourne

SA Liberal Party leader Steven Marshall said that state Labor policy had left South Australians with 'the highest energy prices in Australia' and 'the least reliable grid'. Is that right?

FactCheck
FactCheck: would pokies reform in South Australia wipe out 'many' of 26,000 jobs? Fabrizio Carmignani, Griffith University The Australian Hotels Association of South Australia claims poker machine reforms proposed by Nick Xenophon's SA Best party would wipe out 'many of the 26,000' jobs in the hotel industry. Is that right?

Business + Economy

The US isn't a shining example for Australia when it comes to jobs

Jeff Borland, University of Melbourne

Unemployment rates have risen in Australia while falling in the US. But Australia has experienced a much smaller decline in the proportion of its population who are in work.
Viewpoints: could Labor's tax changes make the system fairer or hurt investors?

Danielle Wood, Grattan Institute; Brendan Coates, Grattan Institute; Gordon Mackenzie, UNSW; John Daley, Grattan Institute

Scrapping cash refunds on dividends could make the tax system fairer. But super funds could invest less in Australian companies.

Health + Medicine
When we lose weight, where does it go? Ruben Meerman, UNSW; Andrew Brown, UNSW Nearly all the weight we lose is exhaled. The medicines to pack for your overseas holiday Sarira El-Den, University of Sydney; Nial Wheate, University of Sydney Before travelling, plan ahead in case you need to pack medicines for sleep, diarrhoea, malaria, pain or anxiety.

Environment + Energy
Curious Kids: What causes windy weather? Andrew B. Watkins, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Wind is just air moving from one place where there is high pressure to another place where there is low pressure.

Politics + Society

The ASEAN-Australia Special Summit marks a step toward a deeper relationship

Laura Allison-Reumann, Universitas Indonesia

Australia’s challenge is to prove its utility to ASEAN, and vice versa.
Politics podcast: the Batman byelection battleground

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

On Saturday Labor and Bill Shorten face a major test in the Melbourne seat of Batman, traditionally Labor but with the Greens now threatening the ALP’s hold.
War with North Korea: from unthinkable to unavoidable?

Kim Beazley, University of Western Australia; L Gordon Flake, University of Western Australia

It is not yet midnight, but as the crisis deepens, the diplomatic and military options get more and more complex. And the possibility of war is now very real.
Looking for truth in the Facebook age? Seek out views you aren't going to 'like'

Matthew Sharpe, Deakin University

We are not yet "post-truth", but truth-telling remains vital in sustaining open and democratic societies.

Science + Technology

I’ve always wondered: why is a green screen green?

Lincoln Turner, Monash University; Russell Anderson, Monash University

From Superman to Jurassic Park, green screen technology is what makes the jaw-dropping effects you see in blockbuster movies possible. But how does it work?
What we know about Novichok, the 'newby' nerve agents linked to Russia

Martin Boland, Charles Darwin University

Even if they do eventually wake up, Sergei and Julia Skripal could suffer permanent damage as a result of their exposure to a Novichok nerve agent.

Arts + Culture
Why virtual reality cannot match the real thing Janna Thompson, La Trobe University Through virtual reality you can now explore a sunken ship, suspend weightless in space, or visit Angkor Wat. So why is the real experience still better?

Cities
Our growing big cities need new centres of employment – here's Melbourne's chance Rodney Maddock, Monash University The population growth is in the west, but most of the jobs are still in the city centre. Three major development proposals could help reshape Melbourne in ways that help overcome this costly mismatch.

Education
#NeverAgain: do student protests work? History tells us they can Claire Cooke, University of Western Australia Student protests can make a big difference. American students have a long history of protesting. In the wake of the Florida shooting, American students are already making a difference.