Tasmania’s fruit growing sector is the latest in a growing list of industries to publicly air its frustrations at the Liberal Government’s power policy failings.
Fruit Growers Tasmania (FGT) didn’t miss when it said the reason our electricity prices are going up is that the Tasmanian Government is effectively taxing users through electricity pricing (FGT media release attached).
“Let’s call it what it is, it’s a tax!” said FGT CEO Peter Cornish, who also pointed out that Tasmanian businesses should be benefitting far more from Tasmania’s abundance of locally produced renewable energy.
The calls from FGT come just days after the Tasmanian Hospitality Association spoke out about the impact of rising electricity costs on its members, and the noticeable lack of government response.
Labor agrees with Fruit Growers Tasmania that Tasmanian businesses should pay Tasmanian prices for Tasmanian power, instead of a tax to prop up the Liberals’ broken budget.
That’s why we’ve promised to cap electricity price increases at 2.5 per cent a year for all households and regulated business customers, and why we would also re-establish the electricity rebate scheme that was in place in 2018.
Janie Finlay MP
Shadow Minister for Primary Industries and Water
