Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens' Energy spokesperson
The Liberals’ Budget confetti doesn’t contain a single item that would secure Tasmania’s energy supply, or permanently drive down energy prices for ordinary Tasmanians.
The $300 million Budget windfall gave Tasmania an unprecedented opportunity to secure our energy supply, for the long term. The Liberals should have invested in renewable wind power, but instead squibbed at making any commitment to future energy generation.
The Hodgman Government’s lack of imagination and courage does nothing secure the supply of electricity to households, and exposes Tasmania to another energy crisis. It also fails to secure the future of the major industrials, the state’s major employers.
Last year’s energy crisis highlighted Tasmania’s dependence on importing electricity from the mainland. Without government investment, the State can’t produce all our own energy, which leaves big and small energy customers at risk.
Over summer, 50% of state electricity came from the Tamar Valley Power Station or was imported via Basslink. This was a huge expense, and, worse, demonstrates how vulnerable we still are.
Tasmania would be uniquely positioned to become the first Australian state to be 100% renewable, 100% of the time. That would bring permanently lower power prices, stablilise the future of the major industrials, and attract new businesses and full-time employment to regional areas.
The State Budget doesn’t contain a single dollar towards building new wind farms, setting a fair solar-feed-in tariff, or upgrading our power system to allow Tasmanians to install more solar and battery storage. The Liberals’ lack of leadership on energy is letting Tasmanians down now, and into the future.