A miscellaneous post

Some of these matters extend beyond a week, so I've had to change the title of this post :)

I will also do a separate post (see here) on something Penny Wong said that I recently came across and consider excellent.

Social cohesion

First off, from here:

"The Victorian African Communities Action Plan aims to build welcoming communities, improve outcomes and create lasting opportunities for Victorians of African heritage."

I would urge all organisations in my state that could benefit from grants to apply, and for all who can spread the word to please do so - there is still a month to go.

"Zero emissions" (electric) vehicles 

Next, from here and here:

"We need to align planning for zero emissions vehicles with planning for our energy system – to ensure that it is ready and able to respond to these changes and that we maximise the benefits for all Victorians.

With the market for zero emissions vehicles expected to mature over the next decade, the Victorian Government is preparing a Zero Emissions Vehicle Roadmap, to be released mid-2020, to manage the transition.

The Victorian Government is already taking action that will support the transition including funding:

• a commercial electric vehicle manufacturing facility that is being established in Morwell in the Latrobe Valley and commencing operations in 2021, manufacturing around 2,400 vehicles per year and creating up to 500 jobs.
• the roll out of Australia’s fastest electric vehicle charging stations by early 2020 at 7 sites across Victoria - Euroa, Barnawartha North (near Wodonga), Melbourne, Torquay, Latrobe Valley, Ballarat and Horsham. Powered by 100% renewable energy, the charging stations are capable of fully charging an electric vehicle with a range of up to 400 kilometres in under 15 minutes."

The webpage includes some useful links:

• https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0025/443086/Zero-Emissions-Vehicles-Part-Of-The-Transition.pdf; 
• https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0026/443087/Making-Sure-Vic-is-Ready.pdf; 
• a map of current and planned charging stations at https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/443949/CVGA-Current-and-Planned-with-charging-level-vA.0.pdf.

China

I've added the following to my China index post:

• Added 7th Jan., 2020: "Controversy has erupted after a leading Chinese university revised its charter to remove a reference to “free thinking” and adding a new stress on adhering to the leadership of the ruling Communist Party, Marxism and socialist theories of education." -  https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/communist-party-fudan-university-censorship-free-thinking-xi-jinping-a9253036.html;

Quirky - "The Political Compass" 

This is a survey to work out where you are politically:

• https://www.politicalcompass.org/.

The free chart with historical and some current figures on it is interesting. I was surprised to find myself to the left of Noam Chomsky, and not that far away from Pyotr Kropotkin, who I had never heard of but will now read up on :)