❓ Mr. Nalder questions the Minister for Energy about Synergy's cost-cutting measures before electricity price increases for WA households. The Minister commits to examining Synergy and Western Power's costs to avoid burdening consumers.
AnsweredQoN 59Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SYNERGY — PRICE INCREASES
59. Mr D.C. NALDER to the Minister for Energy:
Will the minister commit to cutting costs out of Synergy
before imposing substantial electricity price increases on Western Australian
households?
59. Mr D.C. NALDER to the Minister for Energy:
Will the minister commit to cutting costs out of Synergy
before imposing substantial electricity price increases on Western Australian
households?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for his question.
The answer is yes. Clearly, when we talk about cost reflectivity, there are two
components to it. One is the cost of delivery to people's homes and the
other is the endgame when Synergy and Western Power influence those costs. I make
it crystal clear that both of them will be looked at to ensure that they bring
costs down so that cost reflectivity will not always be done by the consumers
of Western Australia, and to ensure that they continue to meet that finish line
that they never seem to get to. Of course, as the Premier pointed out, the
first budget of the former government increased power bills by 25 per cent and,
six months later, by another 16 per cent. That is something we do not want to
do, but ultimately, of course, there are two components to that. Obviously,
there are bills, and what influences bills are the costs of Synergy and the
costs of Western Power in particular. This is the endgame that we have been
pursuing for a long time, since the former Labor government split Western
Power. Although there was a considerable period of dead activity in energy
under the former Liberal government, we are keen to move on with what the
former Labor government started some years ago.
The answer is yes. Clearly, when we talk about cost reflectivity, there are two
components to it. One is the cost of delivery to people's homes and the
other is the endgame when Synergy and Western Power influence those costs. I make
it crystal clear that both of them will be looked at to ensure that they bring
costs down so that cost reflectivity will not always be done by the consumers
of Western Australia, and to ensure that they continue to meet that finish line
that they never seem to get to. Of course, as the Premier pointed out, the
first budget of the former government increased power bills by 25 per cent and,
six months later, by another 16 per cent. That is something we do not want to
do, but ultimately, of course, there are two components to that. Obviously,
there are bills, and what influences bills are the costs of Synergy and the
costs of Western Power in particular. This is the endgame that we have been
pursuing for a long time, since the former Labor government split Western
Power. Although there was a considerable period of dead activity in energy
under the former Liberal government, we are keen to move on with what the
former Labor government started some years ago.
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