✋🏻Logan Smith - Going Fission

The Integrated System Plan from @AEMO_Energy is beyond salvage. It's worse than useless. It tells us NOTHING, other than what a bunch of politicians wish the future would be. It doesn't tell us what's affordable. It doesn't tell us what's reliable. It doesn't tell us what's optimal. It certainly doesn't tell us what's feasible. It cloaks plans that are none of those things - that came from politicians - in a livery that suggests it is independently determined by experts to be all of those things. The nail in the coffin is the 82% RE target for 2030. By forcing EVERY scenario to conform with that implausible ambition, the last claims of a useful degree of independence in the technical analysis have been removed. It is now completely divorced from reality, and entirely subservient to the politically determined policy ambitions of the government/s of the day. It cannot be called independent, or expert. This has utterly debased the debate. It's made it impossible to engage robustly and objectively (which requires distinguishing facts from fantasy) in a way that is evidence-based and civil, without appearing to suggest that others are completely ignorant, or partisan political hacks, and/or facing the same accusations in return. This is a disaster for the public discourse and an entirely untenable position for AEMO. If the greatest and fiercest policy debate of our time is to be fought this election on energy, our energy Market Bodies, such as AEMO cannot be perceived to be the sword and shield of a political party or policy agenda. That would fatally compromise the credibility, respect and perception of independence that they need to fulfil their statutory obligations for the good of energy consumers. It's my opinion that facts that are now public and recorded (but mostly still unnoticed, but they will be) make it inevitable that AEMO will be perceived this way. This situation can only be rectified if acknowledged and repudiated wholeheartedly from the highest levels of AEMO in a way that politicians and the general public cannot ignore. This should happen quickly, in order to prevent greater damage to the reputation of the organisation during the course of an election campaign. It MUST happen before the election, otherwise a change in government could lead to the Coalition demanding the same behaviour from AEMO, entrenching their status as a vassal of the government of the day. That would do permanent damage to AEMO's reputation and credibility, as the ISP flips from calling a renewables plan to a nuclear one 'optimal'. I must stress these views are entirely my own. I don't allege any ill-will or conspiracy. To the contrary, my heart goes out to the many people at AEMO and other market bodies who have done their very best, and acted with skill, care and professionalism. Their hard work may be tragically maligned by whatever follows. But with the ISP currently positioned as it is in debate, nothing can prevent attacks on the independence and integrity of AEMO as an institution escalating from here. In fact, efforts to pursue evidence-based, good public policy now demand it. This absurd situation can only be resolved by AEMO's own leadership. I hope @dfwesterman considers carefully.