Shock to system
A SMALL- business owner who pays twice as much for power than his mortgage bill says the cost of electricity has become an unbearable burden in North Queensland.
Phillip Alexander has owned the Julia Creek Foodmart for more than 15years and said the cost of electricity has skyrocketed over the years.
“I have the maximum amount of solar panels I’m permitted … and my power bill is still about $ 5800 a month,” he said. “My mortgage is only $ 3300.”
Mr Alexander said he also struggled with a lower quality of power.
“We cop burnouts and storm surges, every time Charters Towers has a storm, any problems along the line at all we lose power,” he said.
“There was a three- month period last year where we were going out of power about two or three times a week.”
Mr Alexander said he didn’t know how to fix the situation.
“I don’t know what the answer is to tell you the truth, but we just want a fair go, when it comes to the stage where businesses in the bush are going to close because of power bills,” he said.
Traeger MP Robbie Katter said the solution would be for the State Government to give special consideration to small businesses in regional Queensland.
“The equalisation tariff is good for domestic power – it means a person living in Mount Isa or Richmond pays the same as someone in Brisbane,” he said.
“But that doesn’t cover businesses, so motels, butchers, that sort of thing, invariably pay a much higher price.”
Mr Katter said business owners now talk about power pricing as a serious cost more so than rent.
“Power bills are having a much heavier impact than rent or a mortgage.”
Mr Katter said the government needed to “suck it up” and absorb the cost of adopting the reforms outlined in a recent Australian Competition & Consumer Commission ( ACCC) report.
“The ACCC recommends Queensland network companies write down the value of their poles and wires business which would result in savings of a $ 100 a year to customers,” he said.
“It is high time this Labor Government stood up and actually did something which will have a significant impact on the electricity bills of households and businesses.’’