Pop Goes the Light Bulb - Canberra, May 2 2009

Australia has been aggressive in trying to force their population to use fluorescent light bulbs or 'Twisty Bulbs', as they are also known. The traditional light bulbs have been banned by the government since last October and people can be fined a 100 ASD per screwed in traditional bulb. The policy hasn't had much effect, as there is no way to enforce the measure. Last night the Australian Energy Department ordered without announcement to send a short power surge through the entire Australian power grid. As a result the banned traditional bulbs popped in households across the nation, but not the government approved twisty bulbs, which have been designed to withstand the limited power surge. People were outraged by the intrusive action by the Australian government. Jake Spencer, the Energy Commissioner defended the policy by saying that people have been well-informed that using the old bulbs is a crime and that this is a legitimate way to get rid of them once and for all. He added: 'Expect more of these unannounced surges in the coming year as people have stocked up on the old bulbs when we started going after them aggressively. I wish we could rid ourselves of more illegal devices with one push of a button.' To illustrate he stated that if they could remove illegal weapons by remote means, it would have been done already. Protests against increased government involvement in the home space were seen around the country. Shops around the country also reported record sales of fluorescent light bulbs and most were out of stock by the end of the day.