Shadow Minister for Energy Dr Steve Thomas says that the Cook Government’s latest energy plan is an admission that its energy transition plan has failed to deliver affordable electricity for West Australian businesses.
Dr Thomas said the Government was now warning of a further 89 per cent increase in industrial electricity costs, despite having presided over comparable increases in business power prices over the past four years.
“I welcome the Premier finally acknowledging the need to protect WA businesses from soaring electricity prices, but where was this concern when those same businesses were already facing massive increases over the past four years?” he said.
“West Australian businesses needed the Government to act on rising electricity costs years ago, instead they were met with silence and inaction.”
Dr Thomas said that today’s release of a new Government energy plan is the latest admission of failure of the energy transition to date thanks to four lost years of inaction.
“Since Labor announced its energy transition plan in 2022, it has failed to build substantial new renewable generation capacity of its own and has only recently begun signing power purchase agreements with private renewable energy developers,” he said.
“That has left the Government years behind the energy transition plan outlined under former Premier Mark McGowan in 2022.
“Instead of a coordinated strategy to secure WA’s energy future, we have seen a succession of piecemeal announcements, missed opportunities and mounting energy costs for businesses.
“It would have helped if the Government had actually delivered the updated Whole of System Plan it promised three years ago.
“Instead, that long-overdue planning process has been rebadged as the Future Energy System Outlook, which is itself years behind schedule.
“West Australians need a Government that can deliver the generation, storage and transmission infrastructure necessary to make electricity affordable and keep the lights on.
“After nearly a decade in office, Labor can no longer blame anyone else for the state of Western Australia's electricity system.”
