May 7, 2015
More than 26,600 Queensland households had their power cut off last year because their could not pay their electricity bills, State Parliament heard today.
Energy Minister Mark Bailey said a Queensland Competition Authority report showed that power prices had gone “through the roof”.
“The average electricity bill rose by $440 in those three years of LNP rule and this report shows the real impact on households,” he said.
Mr Bailey said pensioners made up more than 22 per cent of the households that had their power supplies disconnected.
“One of the first tasks of the new Queensland Productivity Commission will be to conduct a public inquiry into electricity prices,” Mr Bailey said.
“We will seek input from the community, businesses, industry and key stakeholders so that together we can achieve outcomes that are in the best interests of Queenslanders.
“We will draw on the advice of the experts to turn these statistics around.
“That’s why we deferred deregulation of the electricity market in South East Queensland for 12 months.”
