A State MP Who Gets It  

While criticising politicians is an easy sport to play, some of them are trying to do the right thing - MP challenges state electricity report.

Smart meters and the solar thermal industry could obviate the need for a new base load power generator in the medium term, according to Port Macquarie MP Robert Oakeshott.

Mr Oakeshott has called on his fellow MPs to question some of the statements contained in the Owen Report into the Electricity Industry. He describes the report as thin on research and thick on political agendas, and says its claim that the solar thermal industry cannot deliver base load power is just wrong.

Mr Oakeshott says domestic savings achieved with the help of smart meters can delay the need for new base load generation well beyond the 2013 deadline in the Owen Report. "If everyone moves to smart metering, and in fact I've found out they are rolling it out now, so its more than just a trial, they're actually smart metering homes all over the place, which means these are substantial savings that are happening now, and change the game a fair bit."