A Newcastle-based battery manufacturer—Energy Renaissance—has collapsed. Insolvent. Done. Kaput. And guess what? This is after they sucked over $750,000 from taxpayers. Money that should have been spent on real industry, real jobs, not this green fantasy.
And who was standing there grinning like they’d won the lottery? Dan Repacholi and Kate Washington And Meyrl Swanson. They called this project a success. A success? Really? It’s a failure of epic proportions. Money wasted, workers betrayed, local industry left hanging. And they expect applause. Pathetic.
Here’s the truth: net zero kills manufacturing. Fact. Fact. Fact. You want factories running, people working, lights on? You need cheap, reliable energy. Coal, gas, baseload. Not fairy dust and feel-good speeches. Under net zero, electricity costs are through the roof. Gas? Even worse. And the politicians? They tell you to “electrify, electrify, electrify.” But you pay the bill. You lose your job. You watch your town’s industry vanish.
Energy Renaissance isn’t just a casualty—it’s a warning. A sign of what happens when Labor’s fingerprints are all over a project. And in the Hunter, that means Repacholi is directly responsible. He touted this as a win. He backed the plan. And now? Bankruptcy. Workers out of work. Money gone.
Think about it. While Repacholi’s posing for photos, families are struggling. Factories that could have thrived under real energy policy are shuttered. Kids’ futures gambled on a pipe dream. And the Liberals? Frozen in an identity crisis, too scared to challenge the net zero cult.
This is what happens when political theatre replaces policy. When politicians care more about optics than outcomes. Net zero isn’t saving the planet—it’s bankrupting businesses, punishing families, and letting politicians pat themselves on the back while everything burns.
Australia used to build things. Now we build press releases about building things. And the lesson here is clear: Repacholi’s “success” is a failure you and I are paying for.