ILLAWARRA ENERGY ROUNDTABLE

21 February 2018

Labors Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Mark Butler MP, is in Wollongong today and holding an Energy Roundtable with local industry and business stakeholders.

Labor will meet with carbon-intensive, high-energy consuming businesses from across the Illawarra and discuss Labors plan to protect local manufacturing jobs and industry from rising electricity costs while transitioning to a clean energy future.

The Turnbull Government continues to be in denial about the energy crisis. Large industrial users are citing increases in electricity prices from 4.5-per-kilowatt-hour to 13-15 per kilowatt hour, a jump of over 200 per cent in electricity prices.

Time and time again, this Government has shown itself unwilling to address the issues that matter to the people in the Illawarra.

The gas crisis has developed on the Liberals watch. Malcolm Turnbull promised to halve gas prices he hasnt.

If Turnbull was worried about manufacturing energy bills he should have pulled the gas trigger and control gas exports this will guarantee adequate supply and put downward pressure on prices.

Households are paying the price, and thousands of manufacturing jobs are on the line, because Malcolm Turnbull refused to do what Labor and his own department told him to and that was to pull the trigger and implement export controls.