Kingston Drycleaners is among the hundreds of
Tasmanian businesses battling higher power prices under Tasmania’s second-worst
ever energy Minister, Guy Barnett.
Electricity costs skyrocketed by 30 per cent last year
for Kingston Drycleaners, bringing the business’ total annual power bill to
$36,000.
As a result of Guy Barnett’s broken promise, the
business’ annual power bill has gone up by around $10,000.
As his power contract expires this year, business
owner David Parkinson will be forced to negotiate a new contract which will
almost certainly be higher again. Kingston Drycleaners is just one example of
the hundreds of businesses across Tasmania going through this after the
Liberals broke their promise to de-link from the National Electricity Market and
continue to refuse to cap power prices.
Energy costs, on top of other increases, are making
life tough Kingston Drycleaners and other Tasmanian businesses.
Labor has a plan to support businesses like Kingston
Drycleaners. We are calling for the Government to re-establish the
electricity rebate scheme that was in place in 2018, so that Tasmanian
businesses pay Tasmanian prices for Tasmanian power.
For households and small businesses, Tasmanian Labor
has a policy of capping power price increases at 2.5 per cent each year for the
next three years.
Households would be better off under our policy by an
average of $500 per year and businesses would save thousands of dollars.
Tasmanian Labor introduced legislation twice during
the 2022 parliamentary year to cap power prices but each time the state Liberal
Government voted against the legislation.
The State Liberal Party also took the policy of removing Tasmania from the
National Electricity Market (see linked 2018 Liberal election video) to the
2018 election but have since abandoned that commitment, breaking a key election
promise.
With all our affordable, renewable energy Tasmanians should be paying Tasmanian prices for Tasmanian power.
Dean Winter MP
Shadow Minister for Energy
