Luke Edmunds MLC, Member for Pembroke, 7 October 2022
Bombshell report further highlights need for inquiry
Wednesday’s bombshell report from the IEEFA, which alleged Tasmanians had been overcharged for power by $232 million since 2014, adds further weight to Labor’s calls for an inquiry into power prices.
In recent months we’ve seen the Government abandon its ‘Tasmania first’ energy policy, with prices rising 12 per cent, or $227, as a result.
As Liberal Party veteran Brad Stansfield asked so pointedly recently – when was the last time we heard Energy Minister Guy Barnett talking about “Tassie first”?
In addition, the Government has torn up the Basslink Services Agreement, leading to reported losses at Hydro of approximately $50 million a month.
They have seemingly rejected two funding offers for Project Marinus, windfarm projects are stalled across the state, and the long-promised hydrogen developments are nowhere to be seen.
For years the Liberals have been propping up their budget with massive dividends from our state-owned energy businesses.
And yesterday Energy Minister Guy Barnett made it clear he intends to take absolutely no action on claims every Tasmanian household has been overcharged $811 on their power bills.
It is clear something is going very wrong with energy policy in Tasmania and it’s up to Parliament to hold the Government to account. At the end of the day, it’s Tasmanian households that pay for the Liberals’ failures.
