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Peter Newman

Peter Newman

The Conversation

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This fuel crisis could last for a while. It’s time for a new approach to fuel use – end it

With the same fiscal support that Canberra found to back the oil industry, we could start to end our oil dependence.

20.04.2026 10

The Conversation

Peter Newman

6 things Australia should do to tackle the energy crisis rather than just building bigger fuel reserves

The government’s response to the fuel crisis has been to reassure us normality will resume. Amid global uncertainty, that’s not enough.

08.04.2026 20

The Conversation

Peter Newman

The last big oil crisis in 1979 led to a new rail revolution in WA. What will this one bring?

This oil crisis looks even more serious and damaging to all parts of the economy. What can we do that will enable us to have an economy not dependent...

06.04.2026 10

WA Today

Peter Newman

Big batteries are now outcompeting gas in the grid – and gas-rich Western Australia is at the forefront

Gas was long thought to be essential as a backup for a clean energy grid. But enormous growth in grid-scale batteries has changed the game.

12.12.2025 30

The Conversation

Peter Newman

Climate action can feel slow – but the fastest energy leap in history has begun

12.09.2025 10

Pearls and Irritations

Peter Newman

Climate action can feel slow – but the fastest energy leap in history has begun

Weaning ourselves off fossil fuels is glacially slow – isn’t it? This pessimistic narrative doesn’t stack up against evidence of very rapid...

10.09.2025 20

The Conversation

Peter Newman

Tragedy has struck Lisbon’s funicular railway. A transport expert explains how these old-fashioned trains work

The deadly derailment has shone a spotlight on this transport relic of the 19th century.

04.09.2025 10

The Conversation

Peter Newman