Labor’s signature pledge to reduce household electricity bills by $275 is now broken, particularly in Victoria, Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster says after the Essential Services Commission announced falls of an average $112 for Victorian households.
“Regional Victorians in my electorate of Mallee and beyond – and their city cousins – ought to be ringing Minister Bowen asking where their $275 is today,” Dr Webster said, “The reduction today needed to be in excess of $1,200 to match in real terms Labor’s election pledge combined with the subsequent power price increases.”
The ESC indicated today residential power prices in Victoria will fall 6.4 per cent (around $112 per annum) and for small businesses 7 per cent (around $266) – well short in dollar terms of Labor’s May 2022 election pledge.
“The Albanese Labor Government is has failed to deliver on its promises – from retaining Stage 3 Tax Cuts to 24/7 Registered Nurses in Aged Care, and now their signature energy promise is in tatters. Victorian families have suffered many bill shocks and today’s shock announcement by the ESC is the knockout blow to Labor’s $275 broken energy bill pledge.”
“Labor simply does not care about the rising cost of living, instead railroading costly and unwanted wind and transmission line projects in regional areas such as 400 kilometres of transmission line through my electorate of Mallee.”
“From May 2022, this distracted Albanese Labor Government were not focused on cost of living, despite their pledges. They were laser-focussed on settling scores for their union masters in industrial relations, railroading regional communities for the rent seekers in the renewable energy industry and on their doomed half-a-billion dollar referendum pet project.”
“The Coalition have been persistently focused on cost of living and holding Labor to account for it, as we are today. We warned it would not be easy under Albanese and now more than ever this prediction is coming to pass.”