11 June 2014

Twitter Cabinet 7

| Sebastian Fernandez
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I’m a late adopter of twitter.

I always thought this social media platform was for self centered wa%#!rs.

It turns out I was wrong.

Twitter enables everyday Australians to cut through the red tape, to get past email inboxes and protective receptionists and speak directly to the powerbrokers.

Last night’s ACT Twitter Cabinet was the first that I’ve watched and I’m convinced that this is the new way of engagement.

This was the 7th twitter cabinet conducted in Canberra, and I’m told the most successful ever.

If anything it’s too successful. At times there was more traffic on the the #ACTVCC hashtag than you’d find on the Kings Highway at the end of a long weekend.

@TimKofCanberra got things rolling with a question about the progress of the Majura Parkway. @D_R_Reid got into a fascinating debate with Simon Corbell on the Opera House yabby traps, I didn’t even know they existed.

The virtual cabinet heard from a lot of the usual Canberra twitter suspects, the likes of @tifosipazzi, @richardtuffin @tinythecabbie @in_the_taratory and @chrisdbarry had their voices heard, but we saw a lot of new faces and very new twitter users making the most of this easy access to the halls of power.

Katy, Simon and Andrew did the most engaging. These three are at home on social media. They understand how to combine niceties with succinct responses to Canberra questions. Rattenbury is much keener to shut people down and to try to say as little as possible on this forum. Joy Burch performs on twitter, like she does in the Assembly. She turns up and participates, but always looks out of her depth.

The Uriarra mob continued to vent their anger over the solar farm. They really do know how to make a big noise online but they continue to assert that the tough questions never get answered. Rates, window washers, bus timetables and of course light rail got a hammering.

My vote for best on ground goes to Corbell. I love the way he deals with complex matters in 140 characters or less.

And the best public tweet of the night came from @krusher46 directed at Simon.

Some of my lifelong ALP voting friends no matter what say for 1st time will vote Liberal if light rail. Killing them. #ACTVCC

Interestingly, this was not responded to.

I think the Government knows it has trouble on this front.

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Twitter Cabinet – because the gov won’t meet with peasants face to face.

davo101 said :

Masquara said :

Plus the carbon cost of the glass manufacture – they don’t manufacture their glass, they just remelt it at 1200-1500 degrees.

Yeap, and the 4.5 million tonnes emission number for the Territory doesn’t include the embodied carbon of anything imported here. What’s your point? If you’re going to include embodied carbon it’ll be a smaller fraction.

They should indeed be included. My point is that the ACT Government can’t really defend such massive carbon emissions to produce a tiny handful of glassworks each year AND claim to be “carbon responsible” – the Glassworks is not self-sustaining, and every Territorian is heavily subsidising this indulgence. The carbon cost is at negligible return to the economy, including the tourism industry. And note that the ACT Government has now admitted that the Royalla solar farm is going to add 15 per cent to our electricity costs. So much for the “solar industry” – it’s a “solar business welfare” Territory!

Masquara said :

davo101 said :

Masquara said :

Are they taking followup questions?

What is the ACT Glassworks’ carbon footprint?

Based on a 350 kg furnace running 8 hours a day and on standby 16 hours a day about 140 tonnes of CO2 per year from the natural gas and maybe another 60 from the electric blower–let’s say about 200 tonnes a year. Or about 0.004% of the Territories emissions.

Plus the carbon cost of the glass manufacture – they don’t manufacture their glass, they just remelt it at 1200-1500 degrees.

Plus the pollution produced when the gas is burned in the furnace. Also, natural gas production uses massive amounts of coal fired electricity to extract it and pressurise the pipelines.
We still don’t know what prices the Glassworks pays for their energy.

Masquara said :

Plus the carbon cost of the glass manufacture – they don’t manufacture their glass, they just remelt it at 1200-1500 degrees.

Yeap, and the 4.5 million tonnes emission number for the Territory doesn’t include the embodied carbon of anything imported here. What’s your point? If you’re going to include embodied carbon it’ll be a smaller fraction.

davo101 said :

Masquara said :

Are they taking followup questions?

What is the ACT Glassworks’ carbon footprint?

Based on a 350 kg furnace running 8 hours a day and on standby 16 hours a day about 140 tonnes of CO2 per year from the natural gas and maybe another 60 from the electric blower–let’s say about 200 tonnes a year. Or about 0.004% of the Territories emissions.

Plus the carbon cost of the glass manufacture – they don’t manufacture their glass, they just remelt it at 1200-1500 degrees.

Masquara said :

Are they taking followup questions?

What is the ACT Glassworks’ carbon footprint?

Based on a 350 kg furnace running 8 hours a day and on standby 16 hours a day about 140 tonnes of CO2 per year from the natural gas and maybe another 60 from the electric blower–let’s say about 200 tonnes a year. Or about 0.004% of the Territories emissions.

Masquara said :

Are they taking followup questions?

What is the ACT Glassworks’ carbon footprint? How much do they buy in renewables?

I would like to know how much their electricity and gas bills are.
Do they get a concessional rate and does the ACT ratepayer subsidise them?
The old power house doesn’t appear to have been “Corbellised” yet either (surrounded and covered with PV panels).

Are they taking followup questions?

What is the ACT Glassworks’ carbon footprint? How much do they buy in renewables?

I asked six questions (including two with a bit of back-and-forth), and got answers to four (admittedly that last one was a fervent wish before boarding the plane).

Q: When is Horse Park Drive expected to be completed?
A: End of June/early July, was held up by the Hewatt’s issues (Rattenbury)

Q: What is the status of works on Majura Parkway? How many of Hewatt’s subcontractors were the government able to retain/re-contract?
A: Work is proceeding at Majura, don’t have exact numbers, but as many staff as possible retained (Rattenbury)

Q: One for @ABarrMLA – how exactly does one privatise a street light network?
A: Through an expression of interest process to the market. The ACT is unusual in that we still own the network.
Follow Up: I assume it will be a fee-for-service to govt? Where’s the attractiveness for a buyer/saving for the govt?
A: efficiencies in asset management, running costs, repairs and maintenance and use of new technologies
Follow Up: and do we lose the right to say the electricity should be sourced from renewables?
A: No – and we are looking to improve the environmental performance of the network through the sale.
Someone else’s follow up: That was my qu too. Once it’s sold, do we then spend more on electricity as a community and individuals?
A: No – we already pay for an ageing network. New investment will lead to an improved network with lower running cost
Follow Up: so the “asset sale” is more a call for someone to fund the network revitalisation in exchange for operating fees? (unanswered, but still that was a fair exchange!).

Q: When does the govt expect to announce the operator selected for the Amaroo Group Centre shop? When is construction expected?
A: Legals have been resolved. Announcement very soon. (Barr)
My Gungahlin, later after asking same: That’s what I have been told every month since January!
A: Yes – it has been frustrating but the issues have been sorted now. (Barr)
Q: Did someone pull out?
A: No – but interstate legal teams who are unfamiliar with leasehold systems add time to processes. (Barr)
Q (next morning): Coles and Woolies shouldn’t have this learning curve as already operate here, does that mean someone else?
A: big companies have many staff – not all are familiar with the Territory Leasehold system. (Barr)

Also jumped on the tail end of @in_the_taratory’s ongoing battle against abandoned shopping trolley’s, asking Katy Gallagher flagged that the rules are enforced and some $50,000 fines had been handed down in the last 18 months, asking how many, but by then all was pretty much done and the conversation had moved on.

Q: One last one before the last flight home – what comes after a light rail network – Bullet Train to Sydney perhaps? 🙂
A: Nuffin…

Was happy to have the forum there – certainly emphasized the accessibility of the participants via social media. In reality it’s a medium they’re already on so you’re a chance of being heard that way anyway, but the defined “throw your hat in the ring” hour was handy.

I didn’t see this one get answered:

Al Opinionated @Tifosipazzi
#actvcc @ABarrMLA what is the forecasted rate rise over the next 5years? Will there be an annual 10% each year?

“……Some of my lifelong ALP voting friends no matter what say for 1st time will vote Liberal if light rail. Killing them”. ????
Does Twitter have a cyber code exclusive to Twitters?
Appears we need more schools that teach English expression before we get a light rail.
Having seen the movie Chef I am terrified of the damage this Twitter thing can do to our young people.
I think your first impression (it’s the domain of wa%#!rs) was correct.

I’d love to see how many of these questions and requests have actually been actioned in the next 10 weeks, but I agree that twitter is a wonderful way to engage with Government. Because of it’s very public nature it can give immense power to individuals who may not have had their voice heard in previous years.

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