Revelations that Queensland’s state-owned electricity network, Energex, remotely throttled air conditioners in almost 170,000 homes and businesses six times in the past two months prompted strong comments in Parliament this week from Senator Malcolm Roberts about Australia’s dystopian energy future.

Senator Roberts noted that when the World Economic Forum told Australians “you will own nothing and be happy," it neglected to say socialist Labor governments would use your smart meter to turn off your air conditioner in an effort to shore up an increasingly fragile electricity grid seemingly always on the brink of collapse. 

“What’s appalling is the very idea that energy rationing is imposed on a state with the world’s best coal reserves and abundant natural gas reserves,” Senator Roberts said. 

“You’d hope we wouldn’t end up like third-world African nations where electricity is purchased ahead of its use and is only able to be used at certain times. Yet this is already a reality in regional and remote Queensland, where households are put on ‘economy tariffs’ and can only use power for about eight hours a day.” 

Senator Roberts asked that with Labor, the Coalition, the Greens, the teals and David Pocock continuing to push Australia down the suicidal path of unreliable and expensive wind and solar in the pursuit of net-zero fantasies—nightmares, really—how long would it be before only the very wealthy had access to electricity 24 hours a day? 

Throttling air conditioners in Queensland was enabled through the so-called ‘PeakSmart’, which offers a small $400 rebate in exchange. Many people who accept the rebate are unaware they’re handing complete control of their electricity use to Energex but as Senator Roberts noted, Queenslanders can still say no to smart meters.