Power rebate blackout

PENSIONERS and healthcare card holders will not get a power bill rebate from the State Government this Christmas.

Energy Minister Guy Barnett yesterday said the Government had no plans to offer the $125 cheque sent to some Aurora customers in December and January again this Christmas.

The scheme, offered last summer to Tasmanians on age pensions and people with healthcare cards, cost about $10 million initially with a further $100,000 approved outside the budget.

Mersey independent MLC Mike Gaffney yesterday repeatedly asked Mr Barnett why the Government offered the rebate and whether the allowance had set a precedent.

The cheques were announced in October and sent through December and January with the state election called in late January for March.

Mr Barnett said the cheques were aimed at showing the Government cared about the cost of living. He later said Tasmania had the nation’s lowest residential power prices.

“Let me put it this way: we always want a sustainable, profitable outcome for our energy businesses … we aren’t looking for super profits and we aren’t looking for losses,” Mr Barnett said.

“Within that context the Government made a decision to support pensioners in particular and healthcare concession card holders and benefited 80,000 Tasmanians with that.”

He later said: “[Aurora] hasn’t been asked to [do it again] and there’s no plan in the minds of Government to ask them to do it.”