Tasmanian parties talk power and ambulance ramping on election campaign day two

As parties made their pitch to voters on day two of the election campaign, Labor and the Liberals locked horns over power, meanwhile the Greens took aim on ambulance ramping. Latest.

Tasmania’s energy minister Nick Duigan in May. Picture: Chris Kidd

February 15

February 15

Tasmania’s energy minister says Labor has got its costings “completely wrong” in a pledge to reverse and cap power prices.

Labor kicked off its election campaign on Wednesday by promising to wind back 22.5 per cent increases to household electricity bills and cap future rises at 2.5 per cent.

Labor says the price rise reversal and future cap will cost $50m a year and will shave $400 from an annual household bill, with the policy to be funded by Hydro Tasmania profits.

However Energy and Renewables Minster Nick Duigan said the policy would cost more than double what Labor had predicted.

“As modelled by Treasury, our Renewable Energy Dividend will this year return $30 to Tasmanian households for a total cost of $7.5 million. Therefore, cutting $400 off electricity bills will cost approximately $100 million. Add a further $44 million for Labor’s price cap, per year. So that’s a total of $276 million over the four years of the forward estimates,” Mr Duigan said.

“The Opposition Leader needs to front up and explain how her gimmick possibly adds up. If something sound too good to be true, it usually is. Labor’s cruel hoax on power prices falls into this category.”

Labor unveiled another power price policy on Thursday, promising to implement a rebate scheme to cap prices paid by contracted business customers at $100/MWh.

Dean Winter Labor member for Franklin. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Franklin Labor MP Dean Winter said a similar rebate scheme had been in place before.

The policy will again be funded through Hydro profits.

“The minority Liberal government has refused repeated calls from Labor and the business community to reintroduce a rebate for contracted customers, as existed in 2018, despite skyrocketing power prices,” Mr Winter said.

The cost of the policy is a function of the difference between wholesale prices and the cap. However, Tasmania’s ownership of Hydro Tasmania means that those high wholesale prices lead to higher profits to Hydro Tasmania – which we will use to recover the cost of the program.”

Kingston Drycleaners owner David Parkinson, whose business suffered from dramatic power price increases, gave his support to Labor’s policy.

Mr Parkinson’s average annual bill through Aurora Energy had been $30,000 in recent years.

“I got a bit of a shock when I looked at my figures for this financial year so far I’ve already spent $22,000 in electricity and we have still got five months to go. I just fear my bill is going to run out at $37,000 a year. That’s a 25 per cent increase we are going to have to deal with,” he said.

Greens pledge $73m ambulance funding boost

February 15

The Greens would boost funding to the state’s ambulance service by $74m if the party is in government after the March 23 state election.

Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff said the revelations of the recent ambulance ramping inquiry made it clear that improving funding was the only way to reduce response times.

“It’s no exaggeration to say the lives of Tasmanians are being put at risk because people can’t get an ambulance when they need it. This dire situation is also impacting ambulance staff, who are suffering terribly under the increasing strain,” she said.

Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff with health union delegates in Hobart on Thursday, February 15, 2024.

“Nearly a year ago the government received a crucial expert report showing the investment required to create an ambulance service that meets the needs of Tasmanians and keeps our community safe. But rather than taking immediate action, the only response has been a deafening silence.

“While Liberal politicians have been pulling out all stops to build a billion-dollar stadium, they’ve not even lifted a finger to make sure Tasmanians can get the life saving help they need in an emergency. Something needs to change.”

Ms Woodruff said the Greens would immediately hire 87 new full-time paramedics and

recruiting a further 30 ambulance staff per year from July 2025 to 2030.

She said the party would also fund the creation of six new ambulance stations, upgrade 13 others to expand coverage, and increase the size of the ambulance fleet

“Tassie’s health system is a bit of a mess, but this election is a real opportunity to turn things around. With a new government and the Greens in the balance of power we’ll fight to stop the stadium and invest instead in critical community needs – like a safe and reliable ambulance service.”