Prices rise in Queensland, while they fall in other states
A new report from the Australian Energy Market Operator has sounded alarm bells for Queenslanders.
The new report found in the first quarter of this year, Queensland’s wholesale energy prices have skyrocketed, while across the rest of the country energy prices fell.
The report found in the first three months of 2024:
• Queensland wholesale energy prices cost an average of $118 per megawatt hour – a massive 75% rise
• The rest of the country paid on average $76 per megawatt hour – a decrease of 8%
It means Queenslanders' power bills are soaring far above what the rest of the country is paying.
The report is a damning indictment of the Palaszczuk-Miles Labor Government’s handling of the Callide power station fiasco.
The major Callide power station has now been offline for 1065 days and Labor has failed to return it to service which has pushed energy prices up in Queensland.
Shadow Minister for Energy and the Cost of Living Deb Frecklington said Queenslanders were paying a very high price for Labor’s failures.
“Last year under Labor, Queenslanders suffered a 20% increase in power bills, the worst in the nation and triple the national average,” Ms Frecklington said.
“Alarmingly this report shows there is a lot more pain to come for Queenslanders.
“Queensland is the only state that’s had a major power station offline for more than a thousand days.
“It's clear Labor’s failures to maintain our power assets has resulted in Queenslanders paying more for their power bills.
“The LNP has committed to providing maintenance guarantees on our power stations to ensure Queenslanders have affordable, reliable and sustainable electricity.
“Labor’s chaos and crisis is costing Queenslanders in a cost of living crisis.
“This power price surge has not happened by accident.
“It is the result of Labor’s systemic failures to manage our electricity network.
“Only the LNP has the Right Priorities for Queensland’s Future, including saving you paying for Labor’s failures.”
