March 7, 2019
Local federal MPs Llew O’Brien (Wide Bay) and Ken O’Dowd (Flynn) are part of a group of six Nationals who are pressing for a new power station to be built somewhere in regional Queensland.
They also want the Federal Government to push ahead with the so-called “Big Stick” Bill – recently withdrawn from Parliament – which would force power companies found guilty of price gouging to divest themselves of assets.
The six, which also includes George Christensen, Michelle Landry, Keith Pitt and Barry O’Sullivan, have written to party leader Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack urging him to press the Liberal Party to take concrete action to commit to new generating capacity in Queensland before the Federal Election.
They say they have taken action after pressure from within their electorates over high energy prices.
Speaking on ABC RN on Thursday morning, Mr Pitt said regional Queenslanders had no options when it came to power as 70 per cent of the generators plus all the poles and wires and the retailer were owned by the State Government.
He said Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor had received more than 60 applications in regards to underwriting new energy generating capacity.
This extra capacity need not necessarily be a High Efficiency Low Emissions (HELE) coal-fired power station, as championed by Mr O’Dowd, but it could be.
“I don’t care if the power station runs on chook manure as long as it is reliable and affordable and our people get relief in cost of living,” Mr Pitt told the ABC.
“It doesn’t surprise me that someone like Ken O’Dowd would be out calling for that to be a coal-fired power station when most of the people in his electorate – that’s where they get their work, how they put food on the table.”
Mr Pitt said the overwhelming majority of the Nationals party room wanted action on power prices.
“The cost of living is the biggest issue for our people,” he said.
