Responsible government needed to fix power woes

AFTER reading the Townsville Bulletin that 3500 homes were disconnected from power in three months with 19000 households committed to a payment plan I think it is a total disgrace and is an indictment on the State Government on how they value people.

Ergon lost more in three months than I would have spent over 12 years building powerlines to farmers and Cardwell in the CREB area.

I know what it is like living without power and using kerosene lights as I lived outside Mareeba on a farm for 13 years before and during the war.

When I started my employment as an apprentice electrician in 1947 major cities Mackay, Townsville and Cairns were basically in isolation and in CREB there were three diesel power stations at Cairns, Innisfail and Atherton.

When I left in 1988 the grid was joined to Brisbane with major voltage lines up to 275 KV.

Power prices were reasonable and I expect the industry kept the profits if there were any.

The problem is the polices of government to introduce renewable power as quickly as possible by subsidising the purchasing of both solar and wind power thus reducing the cost of solar to almost zero.

When I installed 18 cells in 2009, I paid $34,000 and was called a parasite by a Brisbane idiot because I had not paid any power costs for four years as my solar system was well designed and was able to absorb all costs. I was lucky to retire at that time.

Now I am paying again for all the new solar installations to meet a stupid policy where people are saying the world had 12 years left to survive.

Stop people of Queensland having to pay exorbitant fees to get power to keep us both cool and warm.

Any government that continues to abuse its people by stupidly applying extra taxes for power should resign and allow another election with the hope we will get a responsible government.

I notice they have never applied a policy for every tree cut down – one or more should be replaced elsewhere as they suck up CO2 as solar and windmills do not and what do we do with them when they fail?

GARTH HARRIGAN,

Aitkenvale