Barnett avoids important energy questions

Tasmanian Labor

Energy
Minister Guy Barnett has failed to explain to Tasmanians how the government has
got Tasmania’s energy situation so wrong.

Shadow
Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Dean Winter said despite the government
telling Tasmanians that the state was 100% self-sufficient in renewable energy,
this was in fact not true.

“Last
week in Budget Estimates it was revealed that in the 2020-21 financial year,
around 6 per cent of the state’s electricity was imported,” Mr Winter said.

“This
means that Tasmania was not 100% self-sufficient in renewable energy like the
government have led people to believe.”

Mr
Winter said Premier Peter Gutwein, Deputy Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Energy
Minister Guy Barnett had all deceived Tasmanians.

“The
government has been claiming for months that our state was self-sufficient in
renewable energy and we now know this was not true.

“Today
in Parliament, Minister Barnett failed to explain how his government had got it
so wrong and importantly, he failed to explain if this would affect our net
zero status.

“It is time for the Minister to correct the record and tell Tasmanians the truth about our renewable energy record.”

Dean Winter MP

Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction

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