House debates

Wednesday, 1 September 2021

Statements by Members

South Australia: Energy

1:35 pm

Photo of James StevensJames Stevens (Sturt, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I am thrilled to report to the House that electricity prices are falling in my home state of South Australia. On the weekend I welcomed the announcement from the Essential Services Commission of South Australia confirming a further drop in average household and retail electricity bills since the awful depths of the dying days of the previous Labor government, when we had the highest electricity prices in the country. On some metrics, I think at one point we had the second-highest electricity prices in the world. We're turning that around. Of course, we've now met the election commitment that the now state government—the former Liberal opposition—made to reduce the average household bill by over $300 a year. ESCOSA confirms that, since the election, the average household electricity bill is already $303 a year lower than in the dying days of Labor. The job is not done. We want to keep reducing electricity prices, of course, but it's great to see them going in the right direction.

We know how vital it is for families and businesses that electricity be reliable and affordable. It underpins so many decisions, particularly investment decisions in those sectors that are energy intensive. For too long, South Australia was on the wrong side of that equation, but we are regaining the great legacy of Sir Thomas Playford in being a low-cost electricity jurisdiction once more.