House debates

Monday, 7 November 2022

Questions without Notice

Energy

2:41 pm

Photo of Pat ConaghanPat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. The Heritage Hotel in Dorrigo in my electorate of Cowper has their electricity supply contract due to be renewed next year. They've been informed that the hotel's annual electricity price is set to increase by $25,000, or almost 60 per cent, in 2023. Why are businesses like the Heritage Hotel in Dorrigo having to pay for the Prime Minister's broken promise to cut power prices?

2:42 pm

Photo of Anthony AlbaneseAnthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | | Hansard source

I thank the member for Cowper for his question. Indeed, Dorrigo is a great town. He is very privileged to represent such a great local community. You might like to tell the small business, though, that, as a result of the hidden power price increase, power prices for small businesses in New South Wales—according to the release on, of course, 25 May, so I think it's very hard for you to blame this side of the House—were due to go up by 19.7 per cent.

Photo of Milton DickMilton Dick (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The member for Hume will cease interjecting.

Photo of Anthony AlbaneseAnthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | | Hansard source

Over there, when they had a Liberal Party in Western Australia, they were led once by Richard Court, the former WA Liberal Premier, and he's had something to say over the last couple of days. I agree with his comment in which he said that the past decade of national energy policy has been 'a slow-moving train wreck'.