Far from being stung by the Cootamundra by-election defeat the NSW Labor Party has claimed if elected in 2019 they have big plans for smaller electricity bills.
Power price plans: Labor's Adam Searle MLC and Charlie Sheahan have big plans for smaller power bills. Photo: Craig Thomson.
Shadow Minister for Industry, Resources and Energy Adam Searle said NSW Labor has already announced several measures in response to the electricity crisis.
Mr Searle said Labor would eliminate energy company super profits by establishing regulatory oversight of retail energy prices, with a mechanism to ensure energy company super profits are returned to the households and businesses of NSW.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the state's independent pricing regulator has found de-regulation benefits customers.
"IPART also found that by switching to the lowest market … a typical household can save between $284 and $405 per year compared to standard retail offer," she said.
But Labor disagrees and said more practical measures need to be taken.
Mr Searle said Labor would use proceeds from the nationalisation of the Snowy Hydro to invest in renewable generation across regional NSW.
"We announced at the Cootamundra by-election that we'd spend 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of snowy hydro in regional Australia," he said. "It is good to see the State Government adopting at least some of our policy; they now need to come the rest of the way and deliver energy justice for the community.
"We'd also make the IPART solar tariff mandatory and mandate net billing – so that households with rooftop solar, and there are many in Young, are paid fairly for the power they produce. We'd massively increase clean solar energy generation on the rooftops of government-owned buildings."
We will require that a breakdown of each electricity bill be disclosed. Customers in Young will be able to see how much they are paying, to whom and for what services.
Adam Searle
Mr Searle said the electricity companies must be transparent about the actual costs being charged to customers.
"We will require that a breakdown of each electricity bill be disclosed," he said. "Then customers in Young will be able to see how much they are paying, to whom and for what services."
This story Labor’s big power plans first appeared on Narromine News.
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Nyngan Observer
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