June 24, 2014
Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester has accused Labor and the Greens of preventing Gippslanders from accessing cheaper energy bills.
The local MP has welcomed comments this week by AGL Energy Limited confirming local residents will pay less for their electricity when the carbon tax is repealed.
Mr Chester said it was now up to Labor and the Greens to stop standing in the way of lower power bills for Gippslanders and allow the Carbon Tax Repeal Bill to pass the Senate.
AGL Energy Limited owns and runs the Loy Yang A Power Station, where it employs about 600 people and supplies 30 per cent of Victoria’s power needs.
The Coalition Government this week reintroduced legislation in Federal Parliament to repeal the carbon tax, which Mr Chester said had been a burden on families and businesses across Gippsland.
“The statement from AGL Energy confirms that Gippslanders will be better off without the carbon tax,” Mr Chester said.
“Typical households can expect to save about $550 a year. But the benefits of lower power bills will also flow on to business owners, farmers, schools, hospitals and charitable organisations which have all paid the higher energy prices created by Labor’s policies.
“Reducing the cost of energy will help to stimulate the local economy, make our exports more competitive on the world market and create job opportunities for Australian businesses.”
Mr Chester said the Australian public overwhelmingly rejected the carbon tax at the last election.
“The carbon tax gave us three years of uncertainty in the Latrobe Valley, where power workers were consistently misled by the Rudd-Gillard governments on supposed assistance packages and left in the dark as to whether their jobs would be safe,” Mr Chester said.
“Finally we now have an opportunity to help reduce the cost of living pressures for families and to boost job security in the Latrobe Valley energy sector.”
Mr Chester said the Federal Government now looks forward to working with the new Senate from July 1 to repeal the carbon tax.