Tasmania Labor says it will cap power price rises at 2.5 per cent if it wins the next state election. Photo: Hydro Tasmania.
Tasmanian Labor leader Rebecca White says, if Labor is elected to power in the next state election scheduled for 2025, it will cap electricity price rises at 2.5 per cent within 100 days of taking office.
Ms White was citing a July report from the St Vincent de Paul Society which has been tracking Tasmanian energy prices and affordability, and reporting on them annually since 2009.
The latest Tasmanian Tariff-Tracking Project report shows that Tasmanian regulated electricity retail prices that took effect in July will result in annual bills that are between $235 and $265 more than they were last year based on households consuming 9060 kWh per year.
Ms White says that, depending on what tariff they are on, the average annual electricity bill for Tasmanians could reach $3128 – an increase of up to 9.3 per cent on average.
“Cost-of-living pressures are hurting Tasmanian budgets, with many families and households having to make difficult decisions like choosing between heating and eating,” she said.
She said the investment in hydro electricity generation should allow Tasmania to make its own clean, renewable power and should keep prices low, but instead she says the prices are higher than ever.
As a result, she says that, if elected, an incoming Labor Government would cap power price increases at 2.5 per cent a year for Tasmanian households and small businesses.
“We would legislate to achieve that within 100 days of taking office,” she said.
The St Vincent de Paul Society report says that Tasmania introduced full retail competition in July 2014, and that residential electricity customers can choose between three retailers: Aurora Energy’s regulated standard rates; market offers from 1st Energy, Energy Locals and CovaU; and the Aurora+ products.
