Today I am re-releasing Energy
Minister Guy Barnett’s 2018
energy policy and his accompanying media
release. They show him promising to de-link Tasmania from the
National Electricity Market (NEM).
Minister Barnett has been telling
Tasmanian energy users for four years that he was going to de-link from the NEM
and that Tasmania would once again have the lowest prices in Australia.
He has failed to deliver on both.
The government announced it had
abandoned the “Lowest Regulated Energy Prices in the Nation” policy on June 3.
This weak government has failed to
deliver on its energy policy and now Tasmanians are suffering through 12 per
cent price increases.
Minister Barnett’s attacks on Labor
for maintaining our position that Tasmanians should pay Tasmanian prices are
absurd because it was only two months ago he held the same position.
Minister Barnett has tethered his
entire political career to the stalled Project Marinus. He will do
anything to get it built, including selling out Tasmanians from small
households to large, major industrials.
Tasmanians do not understand why
they are experiencing major energy bill shock when we have made a century-long
investment in cheap, reliable, clean energy and we have more than enough for
our needs. Tasmanians should pay Tasmanian prices for energy.
Guy Barnett needs to apologise to
Tasmanian energy users. From households doing it tough, who now have to
pay 12 per cent more, through to large industrials who are struggling to manage
rising costs worth hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
Of course, the best apology would be to reverse course, return to Parliament and back Labor’s Price Cap Bill next week.
Dean Winter MP
Shadow Energy Minister
