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Matt Ryan

@mattdjryan.bsky.social
2.8K followers 652 following 74 posts

Chancellor's Research Fellow, University of Technology Sydney | political economy, environmental history, energy | PhD, University of Sydney

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Reposted by Matt Ryan
Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 27/09/2026
Remember the random dude who got 49020939 articles of uncritical media coverage in the space of two days because he quit anthropic based on his fears of existential AI risk? Yeah..........he's a climate denier. So is the whole AI industry. www.crikey.com.au/2026/09/22/a...
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Greg Jericho @grogsgamut.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
We (rightly) talk a lot about gas, but we should not forget we export a hell of a lot more coal and most of it is for burning for electricity rather than being used to produce steel. And all of it destroys the planet. #NoNewMines
Charts showing annual exports of thermal and coking coal and LNG since  1960-61

In 2024-25:

Thermal coal: 204,847ky
Coking coal: 146,987kt
LNG: 79,128kt
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Renew Economy @reneweconomy.com.au · 28/09/2026
I first realised there was a problem with coal productivity when looking at diesel consumption, which is up about 70% per saleable tonne reneweconomy.com.au/productivity-ha…
reneweconomy.com.au
Productivity has been weak. Mining and construction are the main culprits, just look at diesel and LNG
I first realised there was a problem with coal productivity when looking at diesel consumption, which is up about 70% per saleable tonne.
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Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
New Intergenerational Report from the Australian government thinks disaster funding will just be a nice smooth requirement into the future with only a small difference between "paris aligned" [code for 1.5C, which we know will be exceeded already] and "more than 3C" which would be catastropic. !WTF!
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Dylan McConnell @dylanjmcconnell.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
“It’s an extremely challenging task. The rate of renewable energy rollout that is now required to hit that target is unbelievable” As in, not believable. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Australia’s renewables transition is well under way – but meeting its 2030 target will be ‘extremely challenging’
A gap looms between the Albanese government’s goal of 82% renewable energy and planned solar and wind projects
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Tim Baxter @timinclimate.naruresearch.com.au · 15/09/2026
Did you know that Woodside's Browse gas project – starting in the early 2030s at the soonest – will likely get to pretend that it has always existed under Australia's climate pollution laws in order to avoid laws specifically put in place to hold that project to a higher standard? Now you do!
Estimated annual emissions allowance for Browse gas project under Australia's climate pollution laws

Substantial loopholes in Australia's climate pollution laws mean that Woodside's Browse project may avoid being treated as a new facility under laws specifically designed to hold that project to a higher standard. This is occurring even though the project will not commence until the early 2030s at the soonest. It is new by any reasonable measure.

The total benefit of this loophole to Woodside and its joint venture partners is in the order of $210 million.
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Yung En Chee @yungenchee.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Fri 11 Sep Labor & nature market-friendly ENGOs celebrate successful standover that's delivered the fossil fuel-perpetuating Improved Native Forest Mgt ACCU method Govts remain in the grip of fossil fuels while forests around the 🌏 are already showing pervasive 📈 tree mortality fr climate warming
Protestors at our weekly Friday protest outside the allegedly pro-environment Josh Burns' St Kilda office 
Despite claiming Labor would take climate action all his Party's done is preside over unceasing approvals of new/extension Coal & Gas projectsProtestors with banners opposite Josh Burns office 
Blue banner on the left says AI DATA CENTRES STEAL OUR WATER, POWER, LAND
Yellow banner on the right says STOP NEW GAS IN WA AND NT
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Yung En Chee @yungenchee.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
It's Threatened Species Day 96% of 🇦🇺s surveyed want more action to care for nature But enviro funding's set to decline from an already paltry 0.06% of the federal budget for on-ground nature programs to <0.04% in 2028-29 Years spent on nature market policy; 2 projs registered; 0 certs issued
theguardian.com
Australia’s ‘green Wall Street’ is failing to launch. Threatened species deserve better than the nature repair market | Euan Ritchie and Yung En Chee
One must ask why Labor is so comfortable continuing to ignore the wishes of the vast majority of voters
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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 02/09/2026
FYI, the fossil fuel lobby is just stating it all pretty plainly

Australian Energy ProducersAustralian Energy Producers
26,607 followers26,607 followers
6d •  6 days ago • Visible to anyone on or off LinkedIn

Australian Energy Producers welcomes National Cabinet’s pragmatic decision to let states and territories determine the best energy mix for powering data centres.

We commend the Queensland and Northern Territory governments for advocating a technology-neutral approach.

With first gas from the Beetaloo Basin expected next week, the Territory is well placed to harness its abundant gas resources to attract data centre investment.
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Tim Baxter @timinclimate.naruresearch.com.au · 03/09/2026
7.3% plus 0% plus 0% plus 0% does not add up to 100%. This promise has not just been broken, it has been shattered, stomped on and kicked into the corner. Something has gone very wrong when government policy can't rise high enough to meet a bar this low. You can read about it here:
naruresearch.com.au
Beetaloo Basin, the Safeguard Mechanism and the Pepper Inquiry
Download the full analysis Key points The 2018 Pepper Inquiry was unequivocal: Australian lifecycle emissions from development of the shale gas industry in the NT must be fully offset. Wherever they o...
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Matt Ryan @mattdjryan.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Such important analysis from @timinclimate.naruresearch.com.au . Completely ignoring the Pepper inquiry. The amazing thing is how long that kept up the charade of following the full offsetting recommendation.
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Natasha Heenan @natashaheenan.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
CfP for Historical Materialism Sydney! Taking place 11-12 February 2027. Get your abstracts and panel proposals in! www.ppesydney.net/historical-m...
ppesydney.net
Historical Materialism | Sydney | Call for Papers - Progress in Political Economy (PPE)
Historical Materialism | Sydney | Liberation, Now: The Death of Liberal Order and the Fight for Another World | 11-12 February 2027 | Call for Papers
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Kate Mackenzie @katemac.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Heatstroke is terrifying “There are people that, unfortunately, barely survive heat stroke and then they’re paralyzed or disabled for the rest of their life,”
bloomberg.com
One Hot Day Can Change Your Body for Years
Heat stroke can damage the brain, heart, kidneys and liver. As extreme heat becomes more common, doctors are learning just how difficult recovery can be.
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Matt Ryan @mattdjryan.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I've spent more than a decade studying climate and the economy in Australia. So I say with some authority that @firstdogonthemoon.bsky.social is always right. I hope Madeleine King is looking forward to her retirement as a gas lobbyist.
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Matt Ryan @mattdjryan.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Opening the Beetaloo as the Himalaya melts and the NA/Europe burns. ALP and CLP coming together to open a massive new gas field. If you're not f*cking angry, you should be
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Tim Baxter @timinclimate.naruresearch.com.au · 17/08/2026
Wanna see something cool? I just updated my chart showing Australia's total climate pollution, comparing our fossil fuel exports against our net emissions at home. Anyway it's a bit bleak.
Chart comparing emissions from Australia's fossil fuel exports with the country's net territorial emissions while in 2005, emissions from the two were roughly the same at around 650 million tonnes per year.

In 2026, emissions from exports are well over two times greater than emissions at home.
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Matt Ryan @mattdjryan.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
This is, in technical terms, "not good".
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Alison Pennington @alison-pennington.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Private actors are increasing their control over the essentials of life in energy, fuel, housing, food, healthcare & education. They drive inflation & drag down living standards. We need price controls & more public delivery to protect Australia from inflation & profiteering. My op-ed with SMH.
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Australian Journal of Political Science @ausjpolsci.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
New in @ausjpolsci.bsky.social: Real domestic emissions barely moved in Labor’s first term. Matthew Ryan argues the ALP’s climate approach is a Faustian bargain with private capital — and its ‘tactical fatalism’ on fossil fuels is driving us deeper into overshoot. doi.org/10.1080/1036...
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Quinn Slobodian @quinnslobodian.com · 27/05/2026
hell freezes over, the FT opens the door to nationalization
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Renew Economy @reneweconomy.com.au · 21/05/2026
The #mining industry is burning even more diesel for the same amount of production as they have to dig digger for hard to cut coal, and lack of action on #electric options.
reneweconomy.com.au
Miners are burning a lot more diesel than four years ago, just for same amounts of now hard-to-get coal
The mining industry is burning even more diesel for the same amount of production as they have to dig digger for hard to cut coal, and lack of action on electric options.
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Matt Ryan @mattdjryan.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
"This budget is ... a government just waiting for things to return to “normal”... The only responsible action for a government is to ... protect citizens from the impending chaos of fossil fuel collapse." This budget is silent on climate. As Joshi puts it elsewhere, this is "tactical fatalism".
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Kate Aronoff @katearonoff.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
There is no combination of magic words that will convince large segments of capital to be ok with decarbonizing the U.S. economy!
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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 15/05/2026
No surprises here: the Business Council of Australia pushes back at data centres being regulated to cover climate pollution, and instead calls for increased use of high-polluting fossil gas at data centre projects instead. Much more from me, coming soon.. www.theaustralian.com.au/business/ren...
The BCA has demanded a technology-neutral approach to energy, and called for incentives rather than mandates to encourage renewable energy zone development only when it was commercially viable.
“While data centres are primarily seeking renewable generation and battery storage, flexibility will be required, including integration of gas generation. This approach also allows a greater potential for data centres to contribute to the stability of the grid, in the same way that gas is also required to stabilise an increasingly renewables-based network,” the business group said in a submission.
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Matt Ryan @mattdjryan.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Publication day! Here I try to figure out what the ALP is up to with climate and energy. I argue by relying on private capital to build out its "transition", the Albanese gvt will ultimately fail to decarbonise. Open access! No paywall! @ausjpolsci.bsky.social www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
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Angus Blackman @angusrb.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
100 episodes of After America. It's been quite a journey. @emmashortis.bsky.social australiainstitute.org.au/post/the-uni...
australiainstitute.org.au
The United States we thought we knew is gone
A majority of Australians now think Donald Trump is a bigger threat to world peace than either Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping.
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Matt Ryan @mattdjryan.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
READ THIS! Brilliant writing from a fantastic person, one @natashaheenan.bsky.social. Well worth the subscription to the exciting new @the-breakdown.bsky.social journal. There is so much writing on the climate - but Tash really challenges me think differently. www.break-down.org/producing-th...
break-down.org
Producing the Climate
To produce a new climate in the ruins of the old we need more than technofixes. We need a politics of climate repair.
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Albert Pinto @70sbachchan.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
Must read by @danielagabor.bsky.social @benbraun.eurosky.social "This, we argue, is the pathway for the Santa Marta countries to achieve the decarbonized sovereignty imperative—the strategic pursuit of decarbonization as a matter of national security" www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/aga...
phenomenalworld.org
Against Carbon Shock Therapy | Daniela Gabor & Benjamin Braun
The war in Iran has sent oil prices skyrocketing. Daniela Gabor and Benjamin Braun argue the ripple effects and states (non)responses to the crisis represent a
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Matt Ryan @mattdjryan.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Bad news alert! Just when you thought things couldnt get worse, the Minns NSW govt opens up far west NSW to fracking. There is *no case* for this, beyond private profiteering. The good news is that we wont take this lying down. www.resources.nsw.gov.au/sites/defaul...
resources.nsw.gov.au
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The BREAK—DOWN @the-breakdown.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
"To find optimism in geopolitical rivalry is to place one’s faith in abstract forces rather than human beings. It is, in this sense, a kind of pessimism." New from Casey A. Williams, on why the renewable boost driven by war in Iran may not be cause for optimism. www.break-down.org/why-climate-...
break-down.org
Why Climate Politics Still Matter
In this moment of geopolitical upheaval, many see hopeful signs for renewed momentum on decarbonization. But what if this optimism actually amounts to a surrender?
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Libby Robin @libbydeq.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
If you have a few $$, join your Union @nteunion.bsky.social www.crikey.com.au/2026/04/14/s... It is the only protection against corporate greed gone mad. Perhaps some of these "managers" should face criminal charges?
crikey.com.au
'Immense relief': Sydney University tutor claws back $142,000 in stolen wages
Total stolen wages across Australia's university sector could be as high as $300 million, the NTEU estimates.
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Crikey @crikey.com.au · 16/03/2026
A Scott Morrison-era university policy is likely worsening Australia's skills shortages, with poorer students not choosing different degrees but deciding to forgo university entirely. www.crikey.com.au/2026/03/16/s...
crikey.com.au
It’s time to axe the Morrison-era policy strangling Australia’s humanities degrees
'Unless we have lawyers from all class backgrounds, we will have a legal system that is shaped by a particular narrow set of perspectives and assumptions and blind spots.'
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Matt Ryan @mattdjryan.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
"If you had told me that in 2026, almost four years into the life of a Labor government, JRG would still be firmly in place, I would not have believed you." I thought @frankbongiorno.bsky.social never missed! Well he doesnt here. JRG @jasonclaremp.bsky.social? insidestory.org.au/the-preserva...
insidestory.org.au
The preservation of pure self-interest • Frank Bongiorno
Five years later, does the future of Australian universities in the post-Covid era look any rosier?
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
Happy #PiDay! Here are some pies to consider: If nothing changes, the remaining carbon budget to stay under 1.5°C, 1.7°C, and 2°C will be used up in 4, 12, and 25 years, respectively. Let’s eat up by setting all the fossil fuels on fire.
An infographic from the Global Carbon Project displays three pie charts illustrating the remaining carbon budget for different global warming thresholds (1.5°C, 1.7°C, and 2.0°C) with a 50% likelihood. Each chart features a large dark gray circle representing 2,770 gigatonnes of CO2 already consumed, paired with a smaller orange wedge representing the remaining budget. As the temperature threshold increases, the orange "remaining" wedge grows significantly: it is a narrow sliver of 170 GtCO2 for 1.5°C, a moderate slice of 525 GtCO2 for 1.7°C, and a large segment of 1,055 GtCO2 for 2.0°C. The visual contrast highlights how little of the global carbon budget remains to stay within the most ambitious climate goals compared to the vast amount already emitted.
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Crikey @crikey.com.au · 13/03/2026
Opinion | Writing exclusively for Crikey, Grace Tame reflects on the prime minister calling her "difficult", the media storm following her pro-Palestine chant, and which social causes do and don't ignite public support. www.crikey.com.au/2026/03/13/g...
crikey.com.au
The difficult truth
Writing exclusively for Crikey, Grace Tame reflects on the prime minister calling her 'difficult', the media storm following her pro-Palestine chant, and which social causes do and don't ignite…
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Matt Ryan @mattdjryan.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
"It isn’t a stretch to claim, as Malm and Carton do, that an actual energy transition—of the sort that Fressoz shows has never occurred—would challenge the basic power structures of global capitalism and geopolitics." Excellent review with far-reaching implications from @triofrancos.bsky.social
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Mark Ogge @markogge.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Not only does the Australian Government give Japanese gas export giant Inpex all the gas it exports from Darwin FOR FREE, and lets them pay virtually no tax... Inpex "systematically underestimated' by 40X leaks of cancer causing benzene near Darwin. Consequences? www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03...
abc.net.au
Inpex emissions 'systematically underestimated' since 2018, report finds
An independent review into oil and gas company Inpex has found widespread and persistent failures in how emissions were calculated, recorded and reported, dating back to the start of production in 201...
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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 01/03/2026
I cannot ever stop tearing my hair out about climate activists being labelled 'unrealistic' when the fossil fuel business bros persistently do shit like this www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Fossil fuel giant wins $370 million tax break for burning gas as an ‘alternative fuel’
The IRS ruling appears to allow one of the world’s largest exporters of natural gas to claim its heavily polluting tankers are low-emissions “motorboats.”
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Chris @chrs00.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
It never ceases to confound me just how many folks think the point of essays is to provide teachers with essays. That teachers just like, collect them, or need them for sustenance or something. Rather than the point of them being the *actual fucking act of learning how to think about shit*
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Royce Kurmelovs @roycerk2.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
"Angus Taylor is preparing his new opposition leader’s office, with oil and gas lobbyist Sam Riordan set to be made his chief of staff. Riordan has been with the Australian Energy Producers since August last year."
afr.com
Oil and gas lobbyist in line for Angus Taylor’s lead role
The Australian Energy Producers advisor Sam Riordan appears odds-on to head the opposition leader’s office.
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Matt Ryan @mattdjryan.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Critical work from incredible scholars - especially my brilliant colleague @lizhumphrys.bsky.social "...a collective effort to unsettle the existing conditions that regulate the toxicities of academia for everyone. We intend this article as a provocation..."
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Greg Jericho @grogsgamut.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
If economists want to talk about crowding out, they should have a very strong look at the gas industry Building new mines that are not needed (80% of gas is exported), and are terrible for climate change,take workers away from build roads, rail.. and homes. live.thepoint.com.au/2026/02/the-...
Chart showing that the value of engineering work down on oil and gas mines in the past year is more than half the amount spent on public infrastructure
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The Australia Institute @australiainstitute.org.au · 02/02/2026
New research from The Australia Institute finds that Australia is the most expensive developed country for families to send a child to high school. It costs Australian families $4,967 per year - almost four times the OECD average. Read more: theaus.in/4anjEAp
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Tim Raupach @timraupach.com · 02/02/2026
It's been a hot January in Australia. A fast attribution study shows that heatwaves like that of 5-10 January have been made 5x more likely by anthropogenic climate change. A "total transformation of the Australian summer" says @sarahinscience.bsky.social www.21centuryweather.org.au/climate-chan...
21centuryweather.org.au
Climate change made January heatwave five times more likely
New analysis finds climate change made Australia’s heatwave five times more likely, added 1.6°C, and could make events biennial without rapid emissions cuts.
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Matt Ryan @mattdjryan.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Public renewables and actual planning now!
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Ben Spies-Butcher @bspiesbutcher.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
I'll be building on this recent @theconversation.com piece theconversation.com/if-ai-takes-...
theconversation.com
If AI takes most of our jobs, money as we know it will be over. What then?
AI’s evangelists are promising a future of almost unimaginable prosperity. There’s good reason to be sceptical.
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Professor Euan Ritchie FAMS @euanritchie.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
Sooooooo much focus on the LNP ditching net zero by 2050. Meanwhile, Labor, in plain sight, is very much tracking the same way. The Fourth Estate…
media.tenor.com
a baby yoda standing next to a frog with the words " distracted easily i am " on the bottom
ALT: a baby yoda standing next to a frog with the words " distracted easily i am " on the bottom
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Matt Ryan @mattdjryan.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
If David Littleproud thinks OECD averages are good policy benchmarks, someone should tell him about the average tax rate.
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Matt Ryan @mattdjryan.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
"why would the peak mining body set net zero targets if it meant destroying their own industry? ... net zero is not about shutting up shop. It’s about ... reaching net zero through offsets" Repacholi saying the ALP's quiet part out loud. Absolutely critical coverage by @ketanjoshi.co
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