Dr. Jacobs questions Premier Carpenter about potential electricity price increases following the Apache Energy gas plant explosion, given existing planned hikes. Carpenter denies intention to increase prices due to the crisis, citing rising energy costs and existing subsidies.

AnsweredQoN 279Legislative Assembly
Asked
10 June 2008
Portfolio
Premier

QuestionView source ↗

APACHE ENERGY GAS PLANT EXPLOSION — ELECTRICITY PRICES
I have a supplementary question. Since Western Australian households already face a 10 per cent price hike in their energy bills over the next eight years, will the Premier guarantee that his government will not seek to recover the costs of this crisis through even higher bills? Mr A.J. CARPENTER

AnswerView source ↗

We have no intention of increasing electricity prices to domestic consumers in the way that the member for Roe suggests. This is a situation that we face. Energy sources are becoming more expensive. Anybody who has not noticed that has not been awake. The price of liquid fuels is at world-record all-time highs—much higher than they have ever been. The price of gas is much, much higher than it has ever been. There is a significant component — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We have given the domestic consumers an indication, the best that we can possibly give, of where domestic energy prices will go. We have given a commitment that there will be no increases in prices before the middle of 2009. I outlined the profile of where those prices will go beyond that. It is important to be up-front with people. We could have chosen to hold back that information until after the election. We could continue to subsidise—which is what we are doing now, albeit at increasingly high levels—energy supplies. We have had put to us in this Parliament that the decision that we made in conjunction with the Liberal Party to keep domestic electricity prices flat, has constituted the greatest financial scandal since WA Inc. In effect, what we are doing now is heavily subsidising electricity prices. I came forward and told the population of Western Australia that the situation will require us to increase domestic electricity prices from 2009. I provided that information openly and honestly to the Parliament and to the public.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: We have no intention of increasing electricity prices to domestic consumers in the way that the member for Roe suggests. This is a situation that we face. Energy sources are becoming more expensive. Anybody who has not noticed that has not been awake. The price of liquid fuels is at world-record all-time highs—much higher than they have ever been. The price of gas is much, much higher than it has ever been. There is a significant component — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We have given the domestic consumers an indication, the best that we can possibly give, of where domestic energy prices will go. We have given a commitment that there will be no increases in prices before the middle of 2009. I outlined the profile of where those prices will go beyond that. It is important to be up-front with people. We could have chosen to hold back that information until after the election. We could continue to subsidise—which is what we are doing now, albeit at increasingly high levels—energy supplies. We have had put to us in this Parliament that the decision that we made in conjunction with the Liberal Party to keep domestic electricity prices flat, has constituted the greatest financial scandal since WA Inc. In effect, what we are doing now is heavily subsidising electricity prices. I came forward and told the population of Western Australia that the situation will require us to increase domestic electricity prices from 2009. I provided that information openly and honestly to the Parliament and to the public.
We have no intention of increasing electricity prices to domestic consumers in the way that the member for Roe suggests. This is a situation that we face. Energy sources are becoming more expensive. Anybody who has not noticed that has not been awake. The price of liquid fuels is at world-record all-time highs—much higher than they have ever been. The price of gas is much, much higher than it has ever been. There is a significant component — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We have given the domestic consumers an indication, the best that we can possibly give, of where domestic energy prices will go. We have given a commitment that there will be no increases in prices before the middle of 2009. I outlined the profile of where those prices will go beyond that. It is important to be up-front with people. We could have chosen to hold back that information until after the election. We could continue to subsidise—which is what we are doing now, albeit at increasingly high levels—energy supplies. We have had put to us in this Parliament that the decision that we made in conjunction with the Liberal Party to keep domestic electricity prices flat, has constituted the greatest financial scandal since WA Inc. In effect, what we are doing now is heavily subsidising electricity prices. I came forward and told the population of Western Australia that the situation will require us to increase domestic electricity prices from 2009. I provided that information openly and honestly to the Parliament and to the public.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We have given the domestic consumers an indication, the best that we can possibly give, of where domestic energy prices will go. We have given a commitment that there will be no increases in prices before the middle of 2009. I outlined the profile of where those prices will go beyond that. It is important to be up-front with people. We could have chosen to hold back that information until after the election. We could continue to subsidise—which is what we are doing now, albeit at increasingly high levels—energy supplies. We have had put to us in this Parliament that the decision that we made in conjunction with the Liberal Party to keep domestic electricity prices flat, has constituted the greatest financial scandal since WA Inc. In effect, what we are doing now is heavily subsidising electricity prices. I came forward and told the population of Western Australia that the situation will require us to increase domestic electricity prices from 2009. I provided that information openly and honestly to the Parliament and to the public.
The SPEAKER : Members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We have given the domestic consumers an indication, the best that we can possibly give, of where domestic energy prices will go. We have given a commitment that there will be no increases in prices before the middle of 2009. I outlined the profile of where those prices will go beyond that. It is important to be up-front with people. We could have chosen to hold back that information until after the election. We could continue to subsidise—which is what we are doing now, albeit at increasingly high levels—energy supplies. We have had put to us in this Parliament that the decision that we made in conjunction with the Liberal Party to keep domestic electricity prices flat, has constituted the greatest financial scandal since WA Inc. In effect, what we are doing now is heavily subsidising electricity prices. I came forward and told the population of Western Australia that the situation will require us to increase domestic electricity prices from 2009. I provided that information openly and honestly to the Parliament and to the public.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We have given the domestic consumers an indication, the best that we can possibly give, of where domestic energy prices will go. We have given a commitment that there will be no increases in prices before the middle of 2009. I outlined the profile of where those prices will go beyond that. It is important to be up-front with people. We could have chosen to hold back that information until after the election. We could continue to subsidise—which is what we are doing now, albeit at increasingly high levels—energy supplies. We have had put to us in this Parliament that the decision that we made in conjunction with the Liberal Party to keep domestic electricity prices flat, has constituted the greatest financial scandal since WA Inc. In effect, what we are doing now is heavily subsidising electricity prices. I came forward and told the population of Western Australia that the situation will require us to increase domestic electricity prices from 2009. I provided that information openly and honestly to the Parliament and to the public.
We have had put to us in this Parliament that the decision that we made in conjunction with the Liberal Party to keep domestic electricity prices flat, has constituted the greatest financial scandal since WA Inc. In effect, what we are doing now is heavily subsidising electricity prices. I came forward and told the population of Western Australia that the situation will require us to increase domestic electricity prices from 2009. I provided that information openly and honestly to the Parliament and to the public.

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