5 years ago
ENERGY USERS CALL FOR AN END TO LIBERAL ENERGY POLICY CHAOS, AGAIN.
MARK BUTLER MP
The nation’s largest energy users have warned of higher costs and have again called on the Morrison Government to end their energy policy chaos and deliver sensible national energy policy that can support the new investment needed to bring prices down and keep the lights on.
In response to the AEMO Electricity Statement of Opportunities report released yesterday, the Energy Users Association of Australia, which represents Australia’s largest industrial energy users, has stated reliability risks will result in higher costs for electricity customers and have again pointed to a lack of national leadership as the greatest challenge facing our energy system.
The EUAA warns (emphasis added):
“Energy users will continue to face higher costs and decreasing reliability without a coordinated, national plan for the energy transition that is already underway.”
“This is a fundamental shift in our energy system and without nation-wide coordination of this transition, energy bills will only go up and reliability will fall”.
The EUAA was not alone, with ERM Power chief executive Jon Stretch lamenting:
“We need a national enduring policy that’s going to encompass both emissions and price. And that just doesn’t exist.”
Other business leaders have also spoken out, with Australian Industry Group Innes Willox calling the situation “intolerable”, and Coca-Cola Amatil Managing Director Alison Watkins comparing Australia’s energy system to those of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
The first step to ending the Liberal’s energy crisis is to get agreement in the COAG Energy Council on a national energy policy and plan for energy modernisation.
Yet Energy Minister Angus Taylor still won’t convene the COAG Energy Council because the Morrison Government refuses to confront states who know the best possibility for a serious national energy policy lies with the National Energy Guarantee (NEG).
It is long past time the Morrison Government put the national interest above its embarrassment at having removed a Prime Minister over a NEG policy that is desperately needed to end their energy crisis.
Yet is it clear that the Morrison Government will continue to drive prices higher and put reliability at risk by ignoring the unanimous cries from energy users, the energy industry, experts and the states rather than admitting they were wrong to dump the NEG.
In response to the AEMO Electricity Statement of Opportunities report released yesterday, the Energy Users Association of Australia, which represents Australia’s largest industrial energy users, has stated reliability risks will result in higher costs for electricity customers and have again pointed to a lack of national leadership as the greatest challenge facing our energy system.
The EUAA warns (emphasis added):
“Energy users will continue to face higher costs and decreasing reliability without a coordinated, national plan for the energy transition that is already underway.”
“This is a fundamental shift in our energy system and without nation-wide coordination of this transition, energy bills will only go up and reliability will fall”.
The EUAA was not alone, with ERM Power chief executive Jon Stretch lamenting:
“We need a national enduring policy that’s going to encompass both emissions and price. And that just doesn’t exist.”
Other business leaders have also spoken out, with Australian Industry Group Innes Willox calling the situation “intolerable”, and Coca-Cola Amatil Managing Director Alison Watkins comparing Australia’s energy system to those of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
The first step to ending the Liberal’s energy crisis is to get agreement in the COAG Energy Council on a national energy policy and plan for energy modernisation.
Yet Energy Minister Angus Taylor still won’t convene the COAG Energy Council because the Morrison Government refuses to confront states who know the best possibility for a serious national energy policy lies with the National Energy Guarantee (NEG).
It is long past time the Morrison Government put the national interest above its embarrassment at having removed a Prime Minister over a NEG policy that is desperately needed to end their energy crisis.
Yet is it clear that the Morrison Government will continue to drive prices higher and put reliability at risk by ignoring the unanimous cries from energy users, the energy industry, experts and the states rather than admitting they were wrong to dump the NEG.