Drastic action required to halt rising electricity prices
Author: Bundaberg News Date Posted:22 October 2015
Bundaberg Canegrowers say thousands of jobs are at risk if the Queensland Government does not intervene in Ergon Energy’s bid to increase its revenues over the next five years.
BUNDABERG Canegrowers say thousands of jobs are at risk if the Queensland Government does not intervene in Ergon Energy's bid to increase its revenues over the next five years.
Rural Queenslanders will be looking to their local representatives to ensure regional Queensland's electricity provider puts a stop to skyrocketing electricity prices.
"If something drastic is not done to lower the price of electricity soon, irrigated sugarcane production will cease to exist in our region and quite possibly throughout Queensland," said Bundaberg Canegrowers chairman Allan Dingle.
"Not only are high electricity prices sending irrigators broke, small businesses and local communities in sugarcane growing areas are also feeling the pinch."
"The cost of delivering electricity has not changed in the past 10 years, yet electricity prices have been spiralling out of control. Where is the money going?"
Mr Dingle said the answer was simple.
"All of Ergon Energy's customers have faced year-on-year, double-digit price increases, the state's network companies have been delivering "super profits" to the Queensland Government - totalling $1.8 billion in 2015/16 alone," Mr Dingle said.
