Electricity prices in regional Australia will more than double under Federal Labor’s Energy White Paper with deregulation set to hit the bush the hardest.
Stephen Bennett MP, Member for Burnett said the Federal Government’s White Paper released today is proposing to deregulate electricity prices. For Queensland this would mean massive increases in prices for people in Burnett.
“Labor is also using electricity deregulation to call for the sale of Queensland’s Government owned electricity assets,” Mr Bennett said.
“Yet, the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) which has been running a campaign against electricity privatisation is silent on what its Labor mates in Canberra are saying in the White paper.
“One of the big issues being attacked by Federal Labor is the cost of ‘poles and wires’ and reliability standards. Both of these have driven up costs in regional areas due to the industrial actions of the ETU.”
Mr Bennett said it is time for the ETU to be honest with households.
“Either the ETU support its Labor mates or works with the Newman Government to reduce the costs of ‘poles and wires’. It is time the ETU stopped playing games.
The ETU need to be honest about their position and condemn Labor for its privatisation campaign,” Mr Bennett said.
“The ETU are dishonest in its current industrial campaign and its response to this White paper will illustrate whether these games will continue.
They need to decide whether their priorities lie with regional Queensland or with their Labor mates.”