Queensland irrigator lobby groups frustrated by planned increase in electricity costs
Author: ABC Date Posted:29 March 2016
Canegrowers say a planned 10 per cent increase in electricity prices is "disastrous". ABC RURAL: CHARLIE MCKILLOP
Queensland farm lobby groups have slammed a proposed 10 per cent increase in the cost of power for irrigators as an "absolute disgrace".
The increase is set out in a draft determination from the Queensland Competition Authority (QCA) for electricity prices from July 1.
Residential tariffs will remain stable, but irrigators on transitional tariffs will see a price hike of between 10 and 11.5 per cent.
Other business customers will see increases of up to 13.6 per cent.
Canegrowers CEO Dan Galligan said the jump was another massive shock for farmers who had long-campaigned for electricity price relief from the State Government.
"We've been hit with a determination that is above 10 per cent, which is disastrous," he said.
"Consumers, business owners and, in our case, farmers are stuck in this endless ping pong ball type game where we are flung from one regulatory adviser to another, back to government and back to another advisory body to make submission after submission, arguing that these escalations in prices are not justified and cannot be worn by the economy.
"Government needs to get off their rear end and do something about it."
