Labor’s Reckless Race To Renewables Driving Energy Costs Sky High

Power prices in Queensland are set to rise dramatically, with the Queensland Competition Authority announcing on Saturday July 1st, that residential household energy prices will increase by $429 on average, and by $511 for typical regional business customers.

Increasing by nearly 30 per cent, from $1,496 to $1,926 for regional residents, energy customers in rural and regional Queensland are facing the highest increases to their power bills in the country.

Hard working Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox, is concerned that many regional residents who are already feeling the cost-of-living squeeze, will have no room to move.

“Under Labor, the cost of living is already through the roof, and our next energy bills are set to blow that roof right off” Andrew Willcox said.

“Before the election, we were promised 97 times that our energy bills would be $275 cheaper than what they were last year. Yet since Federal Labor came into Government, we’ve only seen energy prices increase; and increase substantially.

“With this price hike, I’m nervous many residents will simply be unable to afford the cost.

“In regional Queensland, we’re already facing a cost-of-living crisis, with 12 interest rates rises and the rate of homelessness up nearly 30 per cent. There are many residents, that are already running on a razor thin budget, who won’t be able to cop this blow.”

The Dawson MP is calling on the State and Federal Labor Governments to re-think its “reckless race to renewables”, which, he says, is fuelling the energy price hike.

“The QLD State and Federal Labor Governments’ energy policy is to blindly race towards renewables at all costs […] at the expense of our way of life, our household budgets, and our environment.

“We’ve seen the Federal Minister for Energy Chris Bowen, waste no time attacking our most reliable sources of energy, leaving our energy market susceptible to price hikes like the one we’re seeing.

With radical market intervention and sweeping royalty hikes on coal in Queensland, the Dawson MP is calling on the Labor Governments to stop shutting down base load power stations and return investment in coal and gas, to ensure Australians, particularly in rural and regional Australia, can afford to keep their lights on.