Mr. Nalder questions the Treasurer about electricity price increases for small businesses and requests increased competition. The Treasurer deflects, highlighting the previous government's inaction on contestability.

AnsweredQoN 930Legislative Assembly
Asked
20 November 2018
Portfolio
Treasurer

QuestionView source ↗

ELECTRICITY PRICE —
INCREASE
930. Mr D.C. NALDER to the Treasurer:
I have a supplementary question.
Firstly, the Treasurer might like to correct the record about no budget in May
last year; it was September or May this year.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member!
Mr D.C. NALDER : Will the
Treasurer at least commit to alleviating his massive electricity price
increases on small business by opening up competition and allowing them to
access other electricity retailers, just like the access that big business has?

AnswerView source ↗

Any decisions around either reducing
the threshold at which contestability occurs or decisions around other issues
with tariffs are, of course, made at budget time. We will do that. But I note
that in eight and a half years the former Liberal government made not one
decision around increasing contestability—not one! It did not start a reform
process, it did not set an agenda and it never started any work internally with
the Office of Energy, as it then was. However, I am now trying to mop up a lot
of the mess of the member for Riverton; wherever I turn there is more of the
discarded mess of the member for Riverton. Trying to deal with all these things
is not easy, but that is what I was elected to do and I will continue to do so.

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