Tasmanian Labor welcomes the Albanese Government’s $1.5bn energy relief package.
This is much needed. We thank and acknowledge the work done by Treasurer Chalmers and the Tasmanian Federal Labor Team to make this happen.
But this should never have been necessary in Tasmania. We have our own clean, reliable, affordable electricity generation – yet the Tasmanian Liberal Government has insisted that we pay mainland prices.
We should be paying Tasmanian prices for Tasmanian power, not these inflated mainland prices caused by almost a decade of the former Coalition Government’s incoherent national energy policy.
The fact remains that Jeremy Rockliff has chosen to effectively tax Tasmanians $50 million to give to Hydro rather than giving that money back to families in the form of power price relief.
This decision is hurting Tasmanians and demonstrates how wrong the Premier’s priorities are.
A Tasmanian Labor government would cap power prices so that all Tasmanian families and businesses pay Tasmanian prices for Tasmanian power.
Dean Winter MP
Shadow Minister for Energy