Labor’s reckless energy policies won’t keep the lights on

12 Sep 2017 8:15 AMMichael Hart

 

Labor’s reckless energy policies won’t keep the lights on

Sunday, 10 September 2017

 

• Queensland’s energy security under a cloud because of Labor’s reckless energy policies

• Annastacia Palaszczuk needs to guarantee that Queensland’s lights won’t go out

• Labor’s policies will do nothing except raise power prices or shut the lights off completely

   

Queensland’s energy security remains under a cloud because of the Palaszczuk Government’s reckless green energy policies, which could see us suffer the same fate as South Australia’s brownouts earlier this year.

 

Shadow Energy Minister Michael Hart said Annastacia Palaszczuk needed to give an iron-clad guarantee to Queenslanders that their lights would not go out because of Labor’s headlong rush to renewables.

 

“The South Australian government’s over-reliance on renewable energy has caused shutdowns leaving households, hospitals and businesses without power – and Labor’s policies in Queensland are no less extreme,” Mr Hart said.

 

“Labor’s obsessive green ideology and outright rejection of a low-emissions, coal-fired power station in North Queensland will do nothing except raise power prices, or worse, put the lights out completely.

 

“Annastacia Palaszczuk should listen to the warnings and ditch her crazy 50 per cent renewable energy policy and support a sensible national renewable energy target like the LNP.

 

“Labor shouldn’t be gambling with Queensland’s energy future to appease the Greens in a bid to keep themselves in government.”

 

Mr Hart said not only could the lights go out under the Palaszczuk Labor Government, but we were paying more for power than ever before as Queensland electricity prices hit record highs.

 

“Labor’s only legacy after almost three years in office is to deliberately slug Queenslanders on their power bills to pay for this Government’s financial incompetence,” Mr Hart said.

 

“It’s no wonder people are angry with Annastacia Palaszczuk and Labor when the wholesale electricity price in Queensland has increased by 70 per cent since Labor came to office.

 

“Labor’s ripped out 100 per cent dividends from the government’s energy businesses as well as loaded them with almost $5 billion of debt – and allowed government-owned generators Stanwell Corporation and CS Energy to price gouge and drive up electricity prices.

 

“Annastacia Palaszczuk continues to use electricity as a secret tax on Queenslanders.”

 

Mr Hart said the LNP’s renewable energy policy was sensible and would not threaten Queensland’s energy security, while putting downward pressure on power prices for families.

 

“The LNP understands renewables have a role to play in Queensland’s future energy landscape and that’s why we’ll be setting up a one-stop shop to facilitate approvals for renewable energy projects,” Mr Hart said.

 

“We will maintain energy security by constantly monitoring intermittent generation for any threat to reliability of supply for Queenslanders.

 

“The LNP’s renewable energy policy will encourage renewable energy supply without expecting all Queenslanders to subsidise new technologies.

 

“Only the LNP will ease cost of living pressures for Queenslanders so that we can create jobs, build stronger families and provide safe and liveable communities.”

 

Media contact: Nicholas Adermann 0407 808 016