The Palaszczuk Labor Government’s do-nothing attitude continues to hurt Queenslanders – this time it’s a “feasibility study” for a $300 million transmission line, instead of acting to drive down power prices.
LNP Shadow Energy Minister Michael Hart said another study would not lower power prices for families and businesses as cost of living pressures continued to increase.
“Queenslanders need decisive action to ease the price of energy, but instead Annastacia Palaszczuk wants to wait and see by investigating the feasibility of old ideas,” Mr Hart said.
“Labor is simply dusting off an old plan called CopperString on which millions of dollars was spent looking at a 700km electricity transmission line. That study sat on a bureaucrat’s desk in Brisbane.
“Yet another study won’t reduce electricity prices, which are set to rise by more than 7 per cent this year, driven up by Labor’s policy of higher wholesale electricity prices.
“The price of wholesale electricity has increased by 70 per cent under Annastacia Palaszczuk and Labor.”
Mr Hart said an investigation commissioned by Townsville Enterprise showed a coal-fired power station in North Queensland would put strong downward pressure on electricity prices.
“Instead of acting, Labor re-heats a transmission line thought bubble which will do nothing to help North Queensland,” he said.
“There are currently nine coal-fired power stations in Queensland, but with the most northern one in Rockhampton, North Queensland is missing out.
“Coal from the Galilee Basin could be used to fuel the new power station, which would support the development of the Galilee basin and provide cheaper electricity in North Queensland.
“Labor should pick up the work done by Townsville Enterprise and get on with the job of delivering cheaper electricity in North Queensland.
“Labor could lower wholesale electricity prices tomorrow by supporting the LNP’s policy to support a coal-fired base load power station in North Queensland.”
