Turnbull should pay people’s power price rises: Bandt
Greens Climate Change & Energy spokesperson Adam Bandt MP today said that the Turnbull government was responsible for any increases to Australians’ power bills given its failure to implement a ‘lowest cost’ plan to deal with the foreseeable closure of coal-fired power stations. Mr Bandt said that instead of attacking renewable energy, the government should use today’s meeting of Energy Ministers to put in place a national plan to transition the energy sector.
“Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is letting power prices rise to save himself from Cory Bernadi and the hard right,” Mr Bandt said.
“Malcolm Turnbull’s lack of a plan for the electricity sector is pushing up power bills and slowing the growth of renewables, all because he is under the thumb of the Trumps in his party.”
“Malcolm Turnbull has chosen to listen to the ideologues over the experts. Instead of pursuing climate and energy policies that the CSIRO has said could cut people’s power bills, he’s ruled it out to keep the hard-right conservatives of his party happy.”
The Australian Energy Market Commission report released today found that, although the forthcoming closure of Hazelwood coal-fired power station will increase power bills in the short-term, in states like Victoria and South Australia where policy settings have meant more renewable energy projects will become operational, these price increases will soon ease.
“The Coalition’s long-lived attack on renewables has created policy and investor uncertainty, delaying new clean renewable projects from coming online,” Mr Bandt said.
“More renewables will help bring down costs.”
“When business groups, power companies, unions and the community are all calling for policy certainty to ensure energy markets are reliable and affordable during the transition from dirty to clean energy it’s time for Malcolm Turnbull to get on board too.”
Media contact: Adam Pulford, 0429 109 054
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