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Editor's note
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There hasn’t been much good news in Australia’s tortured energy debate these past few years. Polticians have bickered, signature policies have been dumped and our electricity bills have climbed. But the latter, at least, is set to change.
Writing in The Conversation today, Tim Nelson and Alan Rai share modelling showing the average annual electricity bill is projected to fall by 7.1% between 2019 and 2022. The savings will be biggest in southeast Queensland, at a whopping 20%, and smaller in other states. The change is largely being driven by the flood of renewable energy into the market in recent years, following the sudden closure of ageing coal-fired power stations.
The authors prepared the modelling for an Australian Energy Market Commission report released today. We’re not out of the woods yet – much investment and reform is needed to ensure the full benefits of the renewables revolution are realised, including the fall in price. But after a decade of soaring electricity prices, it’s a very welcome development.
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Nicole Hasham
Section Editor: Energy + Environment
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Top stories
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The renewables revolution is starting to pay off: our electricity bills are set to fall.
AAP/Julian Smith
Tim Nelson, Griffith University; Alan Rai, University of Technology Sydney
After a decade of increasing electricity bills, prices are projected to fall due to increased supply of new renewable generation.
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Estonia spends less per student than Australia, but its average wages are lower too.
Ruslan Valeev/Unsplash
Peter Goss, Grattan Institute; Matt Cowgill, Grattan Institute
Australia spends virtually the same on schools as the Estonian government, once wage differences are taken into account.
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SLS is a known irritant to human skin. But if it’s only in contact with your skin for a short time, it’s probably OK.
from www.shutterstock.com
Yousuf Mohammed, The University of Queensland
If you looked at the ingredient list on your body wash, shampoo, toothpaste and cleaning products, you'd probably find most contain sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). It is a known irritant to human skin.
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Education
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Hannah Soong, University of South Australia
Parents in Shanghai are aiming for their children to adopt Western style values – like self-discovery.
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Health + Medicine
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Courtney Hempton, Deakin University
A marathon round of amendments and parliamentary debate will likely see voluntary assisted dying implemented in WA in around 18 months. It's time to start preparing.
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Science + Technology
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Lisa Kewley, Australian National University
A determined approach to improving diversity will also lead to better science.
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Dimitri Perrin, Queensland University of Technology; Gaetan Burgio, Australian National University
A number of things may have gone wrong when researchers edited Chinese twins Lulu and Nana's genome. Either way, the failed experiment is a cautionary tale for us all.
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Caitlin Syme, The University of Queensland
Sometimes the only way to tell the difference between a baby dinosaur and a grown-up one is to find fossils of them both together.
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Cities
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Liam Davies, RMIT University; Ian Woodcock, Swinburne University of Technology
While called a transportation plan,
it was heavily skewed towards roads. We need the type of city-shaping thinking that underpinned the plan, but today's plans must match 21st-century priorities.
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Arts + Culture
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Sarah Backhouse, University of Melbourne; Clare Newton, University of Melbourne
In our digital age, libraries are spaces for community and connection. The new State Library Victoria proves libaries have an exciting future.
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Julian Meyrick, Flinders University
We care less about the arts when there is less to care about. The government of the day has backed Australian arts and culture into a corner and it must start telling its story better to survive.
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Politics + Society
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Vicki Lowik, CQUniversity Australia; Annabel Taylor, CQUniversity Australia
Evangelical Christian churches say a man's authority is in God's plan.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
In this third "vision statement", the Labor leader has condemned online platforms for being unwilling to filter out false information.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
The final parliamentary week for the year finished on a strange note with Angus Taylor's dispute with an American writer. On the policy front, the medevac repeal went through and cuts to the public service were announced.
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Featured jobs
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University of Melbourne — Parkville, Victoria
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La Trobe University — Bundoora, Victoria
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UNSW Sydney — Sydney, New South Wales
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RMIT University — Melbourne, Victoria
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Featured events
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Level 12, Tower 2, 727 Collins Street, Docklands, Victoria, 3008, Australia — Deakin University
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137 St Georges Terrace, Perth, Perth, Western Australia, 6000, Australia — Curtin University
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49 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe, Sydney, New South Wales, 2037, Australia — The Conversation
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Kolling Institute of Medical Research, Kolling Auditorium, Level 5, Building 6, Royal North Shore Hospital, 10 Westbourne Street , St Leonards, New South Wales, 2064, Australia — University of Sydney
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