The future will be built by sustainable coal

Manook effectively said that coal had been ‘choked’ and unfairly excluded from the Net Zero debate.

Manook is sharp and unapologetic in a role that few would envy. Especially in Australia, where Chris Bowen and Sussan Ley have the same limited vocabulary when it comes to our energy debacle. But Manook wasn’t arguing for a particular technology, but rather for technological neutrality and a level playing field.

Manook stated the obvious. The Net Zero debate is not about outcomes, it is about politics. The oft-touted level playing field aims to give no particular technology an advantage, with the outcomes from any particular technology standing on its own merits.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, The future will be built by sustainable coal.

The future of sustainable energy will be built by COAL.

Yesterday at the Press Club, FutureCoal’s chief, Michelle Manook, was questioned by journos on her address entitled: "Thank You for Not Coaling – when the world insists coal has no future, what would you do?"

Manook is… pic.twitter.com/ccl2vCA7Gm

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) November 19, 2025

The trouble is nobody believes Sussan Ley

Sussan Ley’s decline has hit terminal velocity in the latest Redbridge poll.

Australia is going down the gurgler fast. Our economy is buggered, Woke stupidity has ruined our democratic institutions, and our political class wants us to be subjects of a United Nations now influenced by third-world countries, the majority of which are dictatorships. We allow too many people to enter our country and share in her bounty without adding anything. Too many are bringing their medieval hatreds to our shores. Even our national security head honcho is getting worried.

Ley is back on track. The trouble is … nobody believes her.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, The trouble is nobody believes Sussan Ley.

ONE NATION CLOSES IN ON SUSSAN LEY AT 18%. COALITION SLIPS TO 24%.

Polls aren’t prophecies, they’re prompts. The real story here isn’t Labor’s lead, it’s the fracturing of the conservative vote that’s been hijacked by moderates within the Liberals who have vested interests, and… pic.twitter.com/TIEOwMBlHa

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) November 16, 2025

John Laws, Richo, and the end of an era

John Laws not only commanded Australia’s airwaves for over seven decades, but our kitchen.

Laws’ voice bridged the gap between our kitchen and the world. When I heard the news that he was gone, I teared up and rang Alexandra to ask if we could do something that focused on the great man.

His departure leaves a void in the media landscape he helped define. For me, it stirs memories of a pivotal moment in my own career.

In the Unfiltered newsletter, Alexandra Marshall wrote:

Michael de Percy has shared his personal story with John Laws and describes his passing as an ‘end of an era’. ‘Laws wasn’t just a broadcaster. He was a cultural institution. Laws’ voice bridged the gap between our kitchen and the world … his voice echoed across generations, and in no small way, it helped shaped mine.’

My latest in The Spectator Australia, John Laws, Richo, and the end of an era.

MICHAEL DE PERCY | "John Laws wasn’t just a broadcaster. He was a cultural institution."

Laws’ style was direct, probing, and unapologetically opinionated, yet he gave space for informed debate. That interview wasn’t just a platform, it was a milestone in my academic… pic.twitter.com/L55MaFy4Wr

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) November 10, 2025