Sydney electricity prices see state-federal pollies pass the political buck as families cop rising power bills
ROCKETING electricity prices have become a political football with federal and state political leaders bickering over who is to blame — while thousands of NSW families are left in crisis.
NSW
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- Surging power prices put 60,000 homes in danger of disconnection
- Households will pay up to $400 more for power
ROCKETING electricity prices have become a political football with federal and state political leaders bickering over who is to blame while thousands of NSW families are left in crisis.
The Daily Telegraph approached every major federal and state political party to ask them what they were doing to solve the energy crisis, but found political leaders more eager to play the blame game than offer a solution.
It comes after The Daily Telegraph revealed more than 60,000 NSW homes are at risk of disconnection because they cannot afford to pay their bills.
Federal Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg said soaring electricity prices were the fault of the previous Labor government. He blamed the state and territories controlled by Labor.
“Since coming to government, the Coalition abolished the carbon tax ... and is now restricting gas exports to provide more supply,” Mr Frydenberg said.
He said Labor governments needed to “lift mindless bans on gas development and drop their recklessly high renewable energy targets”.
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However Opposition energy spokesman Mark Butler said the lack of national energy policy was driving away investment and said Labor had “made it clear” they would work with the government to introduce a Clean Energy Target.
He said Australians were sick of “the blame shifting”, but still couldn’t resist a swipe adding: “Labor gets this message. There’s still little sign the Turnbull Government does.”
Greens leader Dr Richard Di Natale blamed “Tony Abbott and the other coal-loving conservatives” for soaring prices and said he wanted to retire coal power stations and introduce a “cheap, clean renewables” policy.
Australian Conservatives leader Cory Bernardi said the “sky high prices” were the fault of the government’s “mindless ideological pursuit” of renewable energy.
NSW State Energy Minister Don Harwin said the move by the Coalition to adopt 49 of the 50 recommendations made by the Finkel report was a “positive” step in creating a policy to encourage investment.
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NSW Deputy Premier and Nationals leader John Barilaro said the state should investigate nuclear power.
Opposition energy spokesman Adam Searle said the state government had pushed up prices by deregulating the market and selling publicly owned generators.
The families being left in the cold
YOUNG parents Sarah and Matthew Hawkins moved from Sydney to Katoomba last year because the cost of living was too high.
And like tens of thousands of other NSW residents, it was the electricity bill that was pushing them to the brink.
Mr Hawkins said the couple were paying $600 a quarter for their power bill living in Ryde in the city’s north west.
Now their bill can be as low as $60. Part of the issue is the big discrepancies in how efficient homes can be.
“We were also trying to save a deposit for a house,” Ms Hawkins said of their inner city life. “Some months when our bills came in, we couldn’t even save.”
— KEELY MCDONOUGH
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