One from the Voelte
Ahhh ... The Note just loves the refreshing honesty of an outgoing chief executive, especially one who has interacted with government at so many levels for so many years as Woodside’s Don Voelte has.
While Mr Voelte has always been outspoken when it comes to politics, it was clear the once loosely applied corporate tongue clamp has been fully discarded.
At a press conference after his speech to the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association conference, Mr Voelte was drawn back to his comments on the carbon tax federal Labor proposed to lumber his industry with.
Asked about his views on the Greens wanting to shift to 100 per cent renewable power as soon as possible, he translated this to mean something in the short-term.
“That’s real practical,” Mr Voelte said.
Suggesting such a view did not even deserve a response, he moved on to provide one, a lengthy one, which lurched into Californian energy policy where even the administrators of that decidedly green state viewed a monopoly alternative energy market as fantasy with today’s knowledge.
The fact that the Greens will hold the balance of power in the Senate and are critical to the survival of the Gillard government was clearly no longer a sensitive matter to a CEO set to head back to Nebraska.
“What are they reading, what are they drinking, what are they smoking,” the Don asked of the Greens.
Bike ride
The Note is always happy to highlight someone else’s exertion in the name of charity, so thumbs up to Kratos Energy chairman bioMD director Robert Towner, who is raising funds for WA Police Legacy and cystic fibrosis as part of a bike ride across the Kimberley on the Gibb River Road.
The ride is from Derby, though we do notice it ends at El Questro. We’ll presume he’ll be camping at the luxury resort.