2017-03-15
Malcolm Turnbull and the South Australian Government need to stop looking to gas as a saviour for our energy crisis and instead make meaningful changes to lower power bills for households and small businesses, the Australian Greens say. They have called for the government to put in place powers to pause LNG exports when peak demand requires gas to be available domestically.
“Malcolm Turnbull wants to talk sternly to the bosses of gas companies over failings in of the energy system that ultimately rest with him. The government has done nothing to make sure the lights stay on or to lower power bills,” Greens energy spokesperson Adam Bandt said.
“Nothing that the Prime Minister does today will change the simple fact that Australia exports gas in large amounts at high prices, and as a result the price of gas in Australia is extremely high.
"Even if the Prime Minister makes more gas available, it won't bring the price down."
“Australian businesses and households are paying a motza for gas. Why would a company agree to sell gas in Australia cheaply when they can sell it overseas and make a mint?”
“The Prime Minister needs to ensure the government can require the pause of LNG exports when peak demand requires gas to be available domestically.”
Greens Senator for South Australia Sarah Hanson-Young said: “All kudos to the South Australian state government for standing up to fill the gap left by the missing-in-action “Innovation Prime Minister” Malcolm Turnbull, but they’ve backed the wrong horse in funding a gas-fired power plant and letting rip on fracking.”
“South Australians are sceptical that the plan will lower power bills. Jay Weatherill is asking South Australians to subsidise big gas companies in order to get power delivered to their homes,” Senator Hanson-Young said.
“Power could be delivered to their houses cheaply, reliably and cleanly through renewables. That is what South Australians want, and what they have been putting their own hands in their pockets and paying for.
“The market rules need to change so these big gas companies can’t monopolise and game the system. We didn’t see that yesterday. Most of the money is being funnelled into a dying fossil-fuel industry and giving the gas companies free reign to frack our state and trash our clean, green image.”
Media contact:
Hanson-Young: Amy Moran 0427 604 760
Bandt: Damien Lawson 0487 900 005