Good morning Kyle,

Firstly, thank you for speaking up on electricity prices and for encouraging others to do the same.

I agree with you that the lack of choice when it comes to electricity providers means we are paying more for electricity than we should.

You might not be aware that, in 2016, the Productivity Commission recommended the introduction of competition in regional Queensland and projected that the reform would deliver around $303 Million in benefits.  Ever since we have heard excuse after excuse as to why this has not been done.

In 2021 the Queensland Competition Authority calculated that regional Queenslanders were paying a 17.5% premium compared to their city cousins.  Since then, the gap seems to have grown larger despite assurances from the state Labor government that this is not the case.

The LNP has already called into question the long-term outage at the government-owned Callide C power plant.  Less generation has undoubtedly contributed to increases in electricity prices and it was only due to Federal Court action that we found out the failure was due to a lack of maintenance.  The LNP has already committed to a Maintenance Guarantee to ensure this situation is not repeated and there will be further announcements in the lead up to the state election.

While ignoring recommendations on one hand, it is quite obvious that the current government has failed to ensure the lowest electricity prices for Queenslanders across the state and, especially, in regional Queensland.

You have my commitment that I will continue to speak up on this issue.  After all, we are not asking for anything more than to be treated fairly.

Thank you again for your email.

Regards,

Dale Last MP 

Member for Burdekin

Shadow Minister for Natural Resources and Mines

Shadow Minister for Fire and Emergency Services

Shadow Minister for Corrective Services

Shadow Minister for Rural and Regional Affairs