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Angus James Taylor (born 30 September 1966 in Nimmitabel, New South Wales) is an Australian politician. He is a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the Division of Hume in New South Wales, since 7 September 2013.

Early life and education

Taylor was brought up on a sheep and cattle property near Nimmitabel, New South Wales, and was educated at Nimmitabel Public School and The King's School, Parramatta. Taylor then studied at the University of Sydney while in residence at St Andrew's College, where he earned a Bachelor of Economics, winning the university medal, and Bachelor of Laws. He continued his studies to gain a Master of Philosophy in Economics from New College, Oxford, as a Rhodes Scholar. He wrote his masters thesis on competition policy, with a focus on the ties between brewers and pubs in the UK brewing industry.

His father was heavily involved in agricultural politics, as a President of the NSW Farmers and Vice President of the National Farmers Federation. His maternal grandfather, William Hudson, headed construction of the Snowy Mountains Scheme for hydroelectricity and irrigation in Australia from 1949 to 1967.

Career

After leaving University, Taylor worked for global management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. He was made a partner in 1999, and then went on to become a Director at Port Jackson Partners, an Australian management consulting firm. Most of his consulting work has focused on agriculture, infrastructure and resources. He advised many of Australia's leading organisations on strategy and public policy issues that include carbon regulation, the mining tax, infrastructure investment and pricing and competition policy.

Taylor has founded and worked with a number of agricultural businesses, included Farm Partnerships Australia, Growth Farms Australia and Eastern Australian Agriculture. He was the Director of Rabobank's Executive Development Programme for leading farmers in Australia and New Zealand, as well their Farm Managers Programme focused on younger farmers.

Political career

Following an April 2012 decision by the incumbent Liberal Member for Hume, Alby Schultz, that he would not recontest the seat at the 2013 federal election, Taylor sought and gained Liberal endorsement. Under Coalition rules, the Nationals were also entitled to run a candidate against Taylor; however decided not to. Taylor was elected as Member for Hume with over 61% of the two-party preferred vote and over 54% of the primary vote.

Taylor is also a major donor to the Liberal Party, significantly exceeding amounts donated to the party by other candidates and members of parliament during 2012-2013.

Views

Opposition to Wind Energy

In a 2013 letter to the editor, Taylor stated that he became engaged in "the wind farm debate" in approximately 2003 when a plan was announced to build turbines on a ridge behind his boyhood home, referring to the Boco Rock Wind Farm approximately 10 kilometres from Nimmitabel, currently under construction.

Taylor follows on from the former Member for Hume, Alby Schultz (now patron of the Waubra Foundation) as a staunch critic of wind energy technology and the wind energy industry. Taylor has called on the Coalition government to reduce its support for wind farms. Taylor has taken aim at Australia’s renewable energy target (RET) on the basis that renewable energy projects, in particular wind are driving up electricity costs and crowding out other cheaper carbon reduction methods. This view is contrary to the position of the Australian Energy Market Operator who notes that as wind farms have low operating costs, their energy is offered to the market at low prices, which assists in keeping market prices low.

Before being elected, Taylor’s hostility towards the RET was at odds within his party (then opposition) who supported Australia’s renewable energy target, with fellow Liberal Ian MacFarlane saying “we support the RET. I am not sure Angus does.”

Taylor was a speaker at the "Wind Power Fraud Rally" organised by the anonymous anti-wind blog StopTheseThings.com and hosted by Alan Jones on 18 June 2013 in Canberra. Stopthesethings.com refers to Taylor as "The Enforcer."

In October 2013, Taylor issued a press release claiming that wind turbines had a dramatic negative impact on property values near wind farms and cited a study from a Goulburn real estate consultant and property valuer. This study supporting Taylor’s press release has been criticised for its sample size of only 15 property transactions. Other studies, such as one prepared by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, have examined more than 50,000 property transactions and find no statistically significant effects on values around wind farms.

In April 2014, Taylor, along with New South Wales state Members of Parliament Pru Goward, John Barilaro and Katrina Hodgkinson, criticised the ACT government’s commitment to a 90 per cent renewable energy target by 2020. ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher, accused the politicians of ‘launching a scare campaign’ regarding the target. New South Wales Member of Parliament, and opposition energy spokesperson, Steve Whan, stated that the criticisms of the members of parliament was an ‘obvious attempt to leap on some NIMBY bandwagon’ by attacking the customer, rather than planning processes.

Despite his views on wind energy and Australia’s renewable energy targets, Taylor completed Infigen Energy’s November 2013 “Run with the Wind” event at its Woodlawn Wind Farm, winning his age category.

Coal seam gas

Taylor, as a director of Port Jackson Partners, was a member of a taskforce asked by the Victorian government to investigate the development of a coal seam gas industry in the state. Reporting in November 2013, the report found that the State of Victoria should promote the production of additional and largely on-shore gas supply. The taskforce was headed by former Commonwealth Minister Peter Reith with other members representing energy companies, associated industries and lobby groups.

Publications

Taylor has published two reports as part of the ANZ Bank Insight series. The first of these, Earth, Fire Wind and Water - Economic Opportunity and the Australian Commodities Cycle, focused on the opportunities and challenges faced by Australia's commodity exporters in the face of the commodities boom, and was described as a "landmark report" by The Australian. The second report was Greener Pastures - The Soft Commodity Opportunity for Australia and New Zealand, arguing that a soft commodity boom was taking over from the hard commodity boom. Other reports and articles include The Future for Freight, focused on reform in the freight transport sector, and "More to Nation Building than Big Bucks", critiquing the Labor Government's comparison between its National Broadband Network and the Snowy Mountain Scheme.

In February 2013, Taylor authored the report “A proposal to reduce the cost of electricity to Australian electricity users” while a director at Port Jackson Partners. The report claims that the Coalition could immediately drop the renewable energy target entirely and save up to $3.2 billion by 2020 and still meet emissions reduction targets. This report has been criticised over its use of false assumptions (such as overestimation on the cost per MWh of wind energy and an underestimation of cost of electricity produced from gas) and a lack of understanding of how the national electricity market operates, with energy commentators suggesting that cutting the renewable energy target is more likely to push up costs by around $1 billion a year.

Personal life

Taylor competed in the 2009 triathlon world championships, representing Australia.

He lives near Goulburn on a farm with his wife, Sydney barrister Louise Clegg, and their four children, moving to the area from Sydney six months prior to winning pre-selection for the seat of Hume, in May 2012.

References

1. ^ Chan, Gabrielle (28 May 2012). "Smart, rich, charming: Angus Taylor made to stand". The Australian. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
2. "New Member for Hume: Angus Taylor". The Daily Advertiser. 7 September 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
3. ^ "Angus Taylor: Liberal for Hume". Liberal Party of Australia - New South Wales. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
4. Coorey, Phillip (1 August 2012). "Coalition split over candidate for Hume". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
5. "House of Representatives: NSW: Hume". Election 2013. Australian Electoral Commission. 13 September 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
6. http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/the-biggest-donor-liberal-mp-angus-taylor-gives-a-chunk-of-change-to-his-party-20140205-320qo.html The biggest donor: Liberal MP Angus Taylor gives a chunk of change to his party
7. "Letters to the Editor". Crookwell Gazette. 9 April 2013.
8. http://bocorockwindfarm.com.au/about
9. Financial Review Liberals tilt at expensive wind mills. http://www.afr.com/p/national/liberal_tilts_at_expensive_windmills_RGhiIrXS72p6gaeCrApwlJ 26 February 2013. Retrivied 15 May 2014
10. Financial Review Liberals tilt at expensive wind mills. http://www.afr.com/p/national/liberal_tilts_at_expensive_windmills_RGhiIrXS72p6gaeCrApwlJ 26 February 2013. Retrivied 15 May 2014
11. Goulburn Post LETTER: The exorbitant costs of the RECs http://www.goulburnpost.com.au/story/1696722/letter-the-exorbitant-costs-of-the-recs/?cs=180 10 August 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2014
12. Australian Energy Market Operator South Australian electricity market economic trendswww.aemo.com.au/Electricity/Planning/South-Australian-Advisory-Functions/~/media/Files/Other/planning/SAAF/Archive/south_australian_electricity_market_economic_trends.ashx wind reduced wholesale electricity costs AEMO. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
13. Financial Review Liberals tilt at expensive wind mills http://www.afr.com/p/national/liberal_tilts_at_expensive_windmills_RGhiIrXS72p6gaeCrApwlJ 26 February 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2014
14. "Alan Jones lacks wind at protest". 18 June 2013.
15. YouTube Stop These Thing 29 June 2014 National Wind Power Fraud Rally https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evzuiIEgfmw#t=265 Retrieved 16 May 2014
16. "Angus Taylor aka "The Enforcer"". 25 June 2013.
17. Angus Taylor Member for Hume http://yes2renewables.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/20131014-angus-taylor-wind-farm-impact-on-property-values-shows-clear-case-for-compensation.pdf 14 October 2013 Retrieved 15 May 2014
18. RenewEconomy Whipping up fear about wind farms - The Property Values Stigma http://reneweconomy.com.au/2013/whipping-up-fear-about-wind-farms-the-property-value-stigma-59611 15 October 2013 Retrieved 15 May 2014
19. Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory A Spatial Hedonic Analysis of the Effects of Wind Energy Facilities on Surrounding Property Values in the United States http://emp.lbl.gov/sites/all/files/lbnl-6362e.pdf August 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2014
20. Australian Broadcasting Commission NSW politicians up in arms over ACT Government's wind energy plan http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-01/nsw-politicians-up-in-arms-over-act-wind-energy-plan/5358890 1 April 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
21. Canberra Times Put windfarms on Red Hill and not in NSW say politicians http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/put-windfarms-on-red-hill-not-in-nsw-say-politicians-20140401-35vlw.html 1 April 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2015
22. Goulburn Post NIMBYISM on wind farms backfires: Whan http://www.goulburnpost.com.au/story/2192618/nimbyism-on-wind-farms-backfires-whan/ 2 April 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
23. Goulburn Post 600 runners enter Run With The Wind http://www.goulburnpost.com.au/story/1917498/600-runners-enter-run-with-the-wind/ 19 November 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2014
24. State Governmnet of Victoria 2013 Victorian Gas Market Taskforce Final Report http://www.energyandresources.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/205469/Victorian-Gas-Market-Taskforce-Final-Report-October-2013.pdf Retrieved 15 May 2014
25. State Government of Victoria 2013 Victorian Gas Market Taskforce Final Report Http://www.energyandresources.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/205469/Victorian-Gas-Market-Taskforce-Final-Report-October-2013.pdf Retrieved 15 May 2014
26. Australian Broadcasting Commission ‘Victorian Premier Denis Napthine won't be pressured into making coal seam gas decision’ http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-06/victorian-premier-denis-napthine-won27t-be-pressured-into-maki/5073310?section=vic 7 November 2013 Retrieved 15 May 2014
27. "Decades of wealth from boom as commodities exports forecast to hit $480bn", The Australian, 9 September 2011
28. "More to Nation Building than Big Bucks". 23 September 2010.
29. “RenewEconomy” The dangerous thinking behind Coalition renewable energy policy. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
30. "Pre-selection race well underway". 4 March 2012.
31. "Taylor whips Liberal Field". 14 May 2012.

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• 1966 births
• Living people
• Alumni of New College, Oxford
• Australian Rhodes Scholars
• Lawyers from Sydney
• Politicians from Sydney
• Sydney Law School alumni
• Liberal Party of Australia politicians
• Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Hume
• Members of the Australian House of Representatives