North feels heat of rich power prices

LARGE airconditioned venues across the Far North are set to feel to heat this summer, with regional Queensland being hit with higher power bills than the rest of the state.

A recent survey found that regional Queensland businesses are paying up to 30 per cent more for electricity, while regional households pay up to 20 per cent more.

The survey also showed that of about 800 regional Queensland businesses, 22 per cent were extremely concerned about their ability to pay their power bills in full and on time.

Queensland Electricity Users Network co-ordinator Jennifer Brownie said with summer looming, businesses and families would face yet another price hike in their electricity bill.

“Regional Queensland cannot prosper when the Queensland Government has caused power bills to double and the increases keep coming,” she said.

“Businesses across regional Queensland are doing it very tough after the Queensland Government increased electricity prices by more than 15 per cent in just two years.”

Ms Brownie said the pain over power prices was widespread across all industries, with everyone from mechanics to cafes and retailers feeling the pinch.

She said last year Queensland had the second-highest average wholesale spot prices in the National Electricity Market at $93.12, despite having the newest and most efficient coal generation and the state owning 65 per cent of the generation capacity.

“To accommodate rising power bills, businesses in regional Queensland and Brisbane must make change in order to pay their power bills to continue operating,” she said.

“We are at a tipping point, if power prices do not fall the economy will decline and jobs will be lost in both regional Queensland and Brisbane.”

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