SHOCKING: Power bills to go up in regional Queensland

Stakeholders say the increases will hit consumers hard

NO POWER: Nanango residents were without electricity last night after a malfunction. Picture: john mccutcheon

GET ready for a price hike on your power.

Power bills for a typical regional Queensland house will increase by $41 after a price determination from the Queensland Competition Authority was released on Tuesday.

QCA chairman Roy Green said the increase was the result of higher energy costs because of increasing demand for natural gas.

But Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland advocacy director Nick Behrens said the price increase would come as a shock to many Queenslanders

"CCIQ has serious concerns about the impact such increases will have on business profitability and competitiveness," he said.

"We believe small businesses are becoming disillusioned by the energy sector, particularly given the State Government's commitment to ease the cost of electricity for small business over the coming years."

Professor Green said the QCA acknowledged increasing price was a concern for many in the community.

"From those submissions we understand that the affordability of electricity is an issue for some customers," he said.

"It is therefore important to note that the prices for residential and small business customers reflect the Queensland Government's Uniform Tariff Policy which subsidises electricity prices in the regions so they are on par with prices in the lower-cost south-east of the state."

Queensland Energy Minister Mark Bailey said the QCA report confirmed prices had stabilised significantly over the past two years.

"What we seeing today is confirmation of price stabilisation in Queensland over the first two years of the Palaszczuk Government," he said.

Mr Bailey said power bills for regional consumers would depend on usage.

"People who have greater consumption rate for instance might have a variation of that. It really does depend on your consumption rate," he said.

Shadow energy minister Michael Hart said the government should release a power price report from the Queensland Productivity Commission into reducing power prices that was given to the government on Tuesday.

"This $4 million inquiry was set up for the express purpose of providing detailed research and recommendations to put downward pressure on electricity prices and boost competition in Queensland's electricity market," Mr Hart said.

"A potential six-month delay in releasing this report means Queenslanders will have been waiting two years for Labor to come up with a policy to reduce power prices

Mr Bailey said the government would consider the QPC report at "Cabinet level".

- ARM NEWSDESK

Originally published as SHOCKING: Power bills to go up in regional Queensland