Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains households face Labor’s huge electricity price hikes
01-July-2010
Household budgets across the Hawkesbury and the Blue Mountains will be under more pressure from July 1 as Labor drives up electricity prices, according to Federal MP Louise Markus.
Country Energy customers will pay 13% more, Energy Australia 10% and Integral Energy 7%, following the decision in April by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal.
Consumers are suffering the first of a series of annual electricity price rises that will see their bills rise by a huge 42% by 2012/13 for Country Energy, 36% for Energy Australia, and 20% for Integral Energy.
Gas prices will also rise on July 1 by between 4 and 13% for the major suppliers.
“This is the cost of living under Labor,” Louise Markus said.
“The scary thing about these increases is that they will be even higher if Federal Labor is returned at the next election. New South Wales electricity increases would have been 50% higher if Federal Labor had pressed ahead with its emissions trading scheme.
“These increases will hit low and middle income households hard. Before the election, Labor promised it would put downward pressure on the cost of living and this is what voters get – increases many times the Consumer Price Index which is currently 2.9%.
“Whether it is Kevin Rudd or Julia Gillard in charge, Labor promises are clearly worth nothing. They said they’d do something about petrol prices and came up with FuelWatch which would have increased prices for most motorists. Then they dropped it.
“They said they’d do something about food prices and came up with GROCERYchoice which was useless. Then they dropped it.
“Now Julia Gillard has confirmed she will be setting a price for carbon which means those huge planned price rises will go even higher. And she’s committed to the mining tax which will, in effect, be another great big tax on everything.
Recently I have heard from a number of people in the Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains who are worried about their mounting electricity bills. One mother has told me she is trying to work out what her family will have to go without so that they are able to keep warm over winter.
“This is the reality of life under Labor for people of the Hawkesbury and the Blue Mountains – broken promises, useless policies and rising prices.”