It’s becoming clearer each day that Australia’s rush to renewable energy is an expensive and damaging shambles.

Reporting in the Weekend Australian newspaper is further validation of Family First’s longstanding calls for net zero to be paused while proper engineering and economic studies are done.

Andrew Dyer, a former Energy Infrastructure Commissioner, and someone who supports net zero, has belled the cat calling for an overhaul of what he calls the nation’s “random renewables” push.

“If we’re going to rely on it (renewables) to replace coal, we can’t rely on random developers mucking around with projects that may or may not happen.

“Many developers are land speculators, not actual developers of the project. So they’re looking at it from a very different lens, than say, the person who’s trying to keep the lights on,” Dyer told the Weekend Australian.

Keeping the lights on and electricity affordable should be the focus on our energy policy.

Family First’s concern is that households and businesses are being slugged high power bills thanks to the closure of cheap and reliable coal-fired power stations without proper replacement energy.

The demonisation of gas by climate catastrophists makes any transition without coal or nuclear even more unrealistic.

Windmills, solar panels and new transmission lines costing trillions of dollars of taxpayers’ money are being rolled out with no thought to the engineering, economics and the ability of families to pay their bills.

For example, technology outside coal, gas or nuclear does not exist to firm renewables in a dry country like Australia where hydro is not readily available.

Battery technology that can power modern industrial economies does not exist.

A handful of brave Liberal National MPs, such as Matt Canavan and Renee Heath, have confirmed what Family First has always believed and that is that Australians are not being told the truth about the ability of windmills and solar panels to supply affordable and reliable electricity.

Dyer’s intervention supports the concerns they and Family First have aired. Yet the major parties remain wedded to net zero.

The debate surrounding Australia's transition to net-zero emissions by 2050 highlights a series of challenges, not least of which is ensuring that the switch to renewable energy sources doesn't compromise the nation's ability to provide affordable and reliable electricity.

Criticism from figures like Andrew Dyer, the country's recently retired energy infrastructure commissioner, underscores the complexities of this massive shift, particularly in the context of maintaining or reducing the cost of living for Australians.

According to Dyer, Australia's approach to renewable energy development is flawed by its randomness and lack of coordination.

Projects appear to be selected without a coherent strategy, leading to inefficiencies, community unrest, and potential delays in transitioning away from coal-powered energy.

Dyer's call for a national stocktake to assess what projects are necessary and where they should be located suggests a more strategic approach is needed—one that aligns with the country's environmental goals without sacrificing practical needs or community welfare.

He is echoing in effect what Family First has been saying for the past two years.

Dyer also raises the potential role of nuclear power in Australia's energy future.

Nuclear energy presents an opportunity for a reliable, low-carbon energy source. Given the ambitious timelines and the significant challenges associated with starting a nuclear power industry from scratch, Dyer believes it is a topic worth exploring sooner rather than later, something that will not be welcome by the Albanese Government which is opposed to nuclear energy.

This position could invigorate the ongoing debate about nuclear energy's place in Australia's energy mix, especially as the country seeks alternatives to both fossil fuels and the current, somewhat haphazard, rollout of renewable energy projects.

Family First welcomes the Peter Dutton-led Opposition’s exploration of nuclear energy.

The transformation to a low-emission-energy economy is, by Dyer's account, hampered by a planning deficit.

While the push for net-zero in Australia is driven by a bi-partisan concern that the globe is “boiling”, the path to achieving this goal is fraught with challenges.

The insights offered by Andrew Dyer shed light on the need for a more thoughtful, strategic approach to energy transition.

It's clear that for Australia to meet its environmental commitments without compromising its economic stability or the well-being of its citizens, a significant overhaul of the current renewables rollout is necessary.

This is precisely what Family First has been calling for during the past two years.