❓ Mr. Day questions the Minister about a proposed electricity price cut for small businesses, suggesting it was more than just a casual comment. The Minister defends his own plan for sustainable price reductions for all, dismissing the former MD's proposal as a last-ditch effort to prevent electricity reform.
AnsweredQoN 1297Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I am glad the minister just had that question, because it is a good lead-in to this question about electricity prices for businesses. I again refer to Western Power’s plan to reduce electricity prices by 10 per cent for about 65 000 small businesses and the minister’s response to my question on Tuesday that the plan was just a comment made by the former Western Power managing director at a press conference. (1) Will the minister confirm that it was far from being just a comment at a press conference, that Western Power had given the matter of price cuts for small businesses careful consideration and, in fact, that the matter had been decided upon by the Western Power executive before it was announced? (2) Furthermore, is the minister aware that the announcement of the proposal was contained in a general notification to Western Power staff? (3) Did the minister or his office take any action to prevent this cut in electricity prices for small business? Mr E.S. RIPPER
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(3) We have a much better plan than David Eiszele’s plan. We have a plan for sustainable reductions in electricity prices. We want those reductions to apply to all customers, not just a select group of customers on particular conditions. The former Managing Director of Western Power was seeking desperately to forestall electricity reform. Basically, Western Power feared the oncoming competition, the break-up and what was essential, and took all the steps it could to subvert the possibility of electricity reform. I am advised that it did not have the capacity to deliver the size of the tariff reduction that Mr Eiszele canvassed in that press conference. I dismiss that. It was something that it engaged in. It was guerrilla action at the last minute to try to prevent electricity reform and to create a difficulty for the reform process. The plan before the Parliament is the plan that needs to be supported. It will deliver sustainable lower electricity prices for Simcoa - which provides jobs in the member’s electorate - small businesses and householders. It is the way of the future. It is not just a one-off, off-the-cuff guerrilla action by a now vanished managing director. It is a sustainable plan for the future.
(1) Will the minister confirm that it was far from being just a comment at a press conference, that Western Power had given the matter of price cuts for small businesses careful consideration and, in fact, that the matter had been decided upon by the Western Power executive before it was announced? (2) Furthermore, is the minister aware that the announcement of the proposal was contained in a general notification to Western Power staff? (3) Did the minister or his office take any action to prevent this cut in electricity prices for small business? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(3) We have a much better plan than David Eiszele’s plan. We have a plan for sustainable reductions in electricity prices. We want those reductions to apply to all customers, not just a select group of customers on particular conditions. The former Managing Director of Western Power was seeking desperately to forestall electricity reform. Basically, Western Power feared the oncoming competition, the break-up and what was essential, and took all the steps it could to subvert the possibility of electricity reform. I am advised that it did not have the capacity to deliver the size of the tariff reduction that Mr Eiszele canvassed in that press conference. I dismiss that. It was something that it engaged in. It was guerrilla action at the last minute to try to prevent electricity reform and to create a difficulty for the reform process. The plan before the Parliament is the plan that needs to be supported. It will deliver sustainable lower electricity prices for Simcoa - which provides jobs in the member’s electorate - small businesses and householders. It is the way of the future. It is not just a one-off, off-the-cuff guerrilla action by a now vanished managing director. It is a sustainable plan for the future.
(2) Furthermore, is the minister aware that the announcement of the proposal was contained in a general notification to Western Power staff? (3) Did the minister or his office take any action to prevent this cut in electricity prices for small business? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(3) We have a much better plan than David Eiszele’s plan. We have a plan for sustainable reductions in electricity prices. We want those reductions to apply to all customers, not just a select group of customers on particular conditions. The former Managing Director of Western Power was seeking desperately to forestall electricity reform. Basically, Western Power feared the oncoming competition, the break-up and what was essential, and took all the steps it could to subvert the possibility of electricity reform. I am advised that it did not have the capacity to deliver the size of the tariff reduction that Mr Eiszele canvassed in that press conference. I dismiss that. It was something that it engaged in. It was guerrilla action at the last minute to try to prevent electricity reform and to create a difficulty for the reform process. The plan before the Parliament is the plan that needs to be supported. It will deliver sustainable lower electricity prices for Simcoa - which provides jobs in the member’s electorate - small businesses and householders. It is the way of the future. It is not just a one-off, off-the-cuff guerrilla action by a now vanished managing director. It is a sustainable plan for the future.
(3) Did the minister or his office take any action to prevent this cut in electricity prices for small business? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(3) We have a much better plan than David Eiszele’s plan. We have a plan for sustainable reductions in electricity prices. We want those reductions to apply to all customers, not just a select group of customers on particular conditions. The former Managing Director of Western Power was seeking desperately to forestall electricity reform. Basically, Western Power feared the oncoming competition, the break-up and what was essential, and took all the steps it could to subvert the possibility of electricity reform. I am advised that it did not have the capacity to deliver the size of the tariff reduction that Mr Eiszele canvassed in that press conference. I dismiss that. It was something that it engaged in. It was guerrilla action at the last minute to try to prevent electricity reform and to create a difficulty for the reform process. The plan before the Parliament is the plan that needs to be supported. It will deliver sustainable lower electricity prices for Simcoa - which provides jobs in the member’s electorate - small businesses and householders. It is the way of the future. It is not just a one-off, off-the-cuff guerrilla action by a now vanished managing director. It is a sustainable plan for the future.
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(3) We have a much better plan than David Eiszele’s plan. We have a plan for sustainable reductions in electricity prices. We want those reductions to apply to all customers, not just a select group of customers on particular conditions. The former Managing Director of Western Power was seeking desperately to forestall electricity reform. Basically, Western Power feared the oncoming competition, the break-up and what was essential, and took all the steps it could to subvert the possibility of electricity reform. I am advised that it did not have the capacity to deliver the size of the tariff reduction that Mr Eiszele canvassed in that press conference. I dismiss that. It was something that it engaged in. It was guerrilla action at the last minute to try to prevent electricity reform and to create a difficulty for the reform process. The plan before the Parliament is the plan that needs to be supported. It will deliver sustainable lower electricity prices for Simcoa - which provides jobs in the member’s electorate - small businesses and householders. It is the way of the future. It is not just a one-off, off-the-cuff guerrilla action by a now vanished managing director. It is a sustainable plan for the future.
(1)-(3) We have a much better plan than David Eiszele’s plan. We have a plan for sustainable reductions in electricity prices. We want those reductions to apply to all customers, not just a select group of customers on particular conditions. The former Managing Director of Western Power was seeking desperately to forestall electricity reform. Basically, Western Power feared the oncoming competition, the break-up and what was essential, and took all the steps it could to subvert the possibility of electricity reform. I am advised that it did not have the capacity to deliver the size of the tariff reduction that Mr Eiszele canvassed in that press conference. I dismiss that. It was something that it engaged in. It was guerrilla action at the last minute to try to prevent electricity reform and to create a difficulty for the reform process. The plan before the Parliament is the plan that needs to be supported. It will deliver sustainable lower electricity prices for Simcoa - which provides jobs in the member’s electorate - small businesses and householders. It is the way of the future. It is not just a one-off, off-the-cuff guerrilla action by a now vanished managing director. It is a sustainable plan for the future.
(1) Will the minister confirm that it was far from being just a comment at a press conference, that Western Power had given the matter of price cuts for small businesses careful consideration and, in fact, that the matter had been decided upon by the Western Power executive before it was announced? (2) Furthermore, is the minister aware that the announcement of the proposal was contained in a general notification to Western Power staff? (3) Did the minister or his office take any action to prevent this cut in electricity prices for small business? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(3) We have a much better plan than David Eiszele’s plan. We have a plan for sustainable reductions in electricity prices. We want those reductions to apply to all customers, not just a select group of customers on particular conditions. The former Managing Director of Western Power was seeking desperately to forestall electricity reform. Basically, Western Power feared the oncoming competition, the break-up and what was essential, and took all the steps it could to subvert the possibility of electricity reform. I am advised that it did not have the capacity to deliver the size of the tariff reduction that Mr Eiszele canvassed in that press conference. I dismiss that. It was something that it engaged in. It was guerrilla action at the last minute to try to prevent electricity reform and to create a difficulty for the reform process. The plan before the Parliament is the plan that needs to be supported. It will deliver sustainable lower electricity prices for Simcoa - which provides jobs in the member’s electorate - small businesses and householders. It is the way of the future. It is not just a one-off, off-the-cuff guerrilla action by a now vanished managing director. It is a sustainable plan for the future.
(2) Furthermore, is the minister aware that the announcement of the proposal was contained in a general notification to Western Power staff? (3) Did the minister or his office take any action to prevent this cut in electricity prices for small business? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(3) We have a much better plan than David Eiszele’s plan. We have a plan for sustainable reductions in electricity prices. We want those reductions to apply to all customers, not just a select group of customers on particular conditions. The former Managing Director of Western Power was seeking desperately to forestall electricity reform. Basically, Western Power feared the oncoming competition, the break-up and what was essential, and took all the steps it could to subvert the possibility of electricity reform. I am advised that it did not have the capacity to deliver the size of the tariff reduction that Mr Eiszele canvassed in that press conference. I dismiss that. It was something that it engaged in. It was guerrilla action at the last minute to try to prevent electricity reform and to create a difficulty for the reform process. The plan before the Parliament is the plan that needs to be supported. It will deliver sustainable lower electricity prices for Simcoa - which provides jobs in the member’s electorate - small businesses and householders. It is the way of the future. It is not just a one-off, off-the-cuff guerrilla action by a now vanished managing director. It is a sustainable plan for the future.
(3) Did the minister or his office take any action to prevent this cut in electricity prices for small business? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(3) We have a much better plan than David Eiszele’s plan. We have a plan for sustainable reductions in electricity prices. We want those reductions to apply to all customers, not just a select group of customers on particular conditions. The former Managing Director of Western Power was seeking desperately to forestall electricity reform. Basically, Western Power feared the oncoming competition, the break-up and what was essential, and took all the steps it could to subvert the possibility of electricity reform. I am advised that it did not have the capacity to deliver the size of the tariff reduction that Mr Eiszele canvassed in that press conference. I dismiss that. It was something that it engaged in. It was guerrilla action at the last minute to try to prevent electricity reform and to create a difficulty for the reform process. The plan before the Parliament is the plan that needs to be supported. It will deliver sustainable lower electricity prices for Simcoa - which provides jobs in the member’s electorate - small businesses and householders. It is the way of the future. It is not just a one-off, off-the-cuff guerrilla action by a now vanished managing director. It is a sustainable plan for the future.
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(3) We have a much better plan than David Eiszele’s plan. We have a plan for sustainable reductions in electricity prices. We want those reductions to apply to all customers, not just a select group of customers on particular conditions. The former Managing Director of Western Power was seeking desperately to forestall electricity reform. Basically, Western Power feared the oncoming competition, the break-up and what was essential, and took all the steps it could to subvert the possibility of electricity reform. I am advised that it did not have the capacity to deliver the size of the tariff reduction that Mr Eiszele canvassed in that press conference. I dismiss that. It was something that it engaged in. It was guerrilla action at the last minute to try to prevent electricity reform and to create a difficulty for the reform process. The plan before the Parliament is the plan that needs to be supported. It will deliver sustainable lower electricity prices for Simcoa - which provides jobs in the member’s electorate - small businesses and householders. It is the way of the future. It is not just a one-off, off-the-cuff guerrilla action by a now vanished managing director. It is a sustainable plan for the future.
(1)-(3) We have a much better plan than David Eiszele’s plan. We have a plan for sustainable reductions in electricity prices. We want those reductions to apply to all customers, not just a select group of customers on particular conditions. The former Managing Director of Western Power was seeking desperately to forestall electricity reform. Basically, Western Power feared the oncoming competition, the break-up and what was essential, and took all the steps it could to subvert the possibility of electricity reform. I am advised that it did not have the capacity to deliver the size of the tariff reduction that Mr Eiszele canvassed in that press conference. I dismiss that. It was something that it engaged in. It was guerrilla action at the last minute to try to prevent electricity reform and to create a difficulty for the reform process. The plan before the Parliament is the plan that needs to be supported. It will deliver sustainable lower electricity prices for Simcoa - which provides jobs in the member’s electorate - small businesses and householders. It is the way of the future. It is not just a one-off, off-the-cuff guerrilla action by a now vanished managing director. It is a sustainable plan for the future.
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