Bring down energy costs by extending energy bill relief, improving access to the electricity concession and accelerating household energy efficiency.
-
50,000
Tasmanian households are experiencing energy poverty. Source: Brotherhood of St. Laurence (2022), Power Pain: An Investigation of Energy Stress in Australia
TasCOSS’s election asks:
- Lock in energy bill relief by extending the Energy Bill Relief Fund over the Forward Estimates, providing a minimum payment of $250 per year (current rate) indexed to regulated price increases.
- Improve the electricity concession scheme by shifting to a more equitable, percentage-based payment and extending eligibility to households that qualify for Energy Bill Relief Fund payments.
- Significant investments to accelerate energy efficiency upgrades for social housing, private rentals and homeowners on low incomes.
The information in the table below is gleaned from candidate and party responses and policy announcements during the campaign. Neither the Liberal or Labor parties chose to formerly respond to TasCOSS’s election platform, however we conducted our own analysis of their publicly available policies. Our election tracker is provided as a guide to inform members, and we encourage you to undertake your own research on candidate and party policy positions. All candidate and party responses received are available in full here:
- Tasmanian Greens
- Jacqui Lambie Network (JLN)
- Kristie Johnston MP (IND, Clark)
- David O’Byrne MP (IND, Franklin)
- John Tucker MP (IND, Lyons)
- Sue Hickey (IND, Clark)
- Tamar Cordover (IND, Franklin)
- Greg (Tubby) Quinn (IND, Bass)
| Party | Headline Announcement(s) | Source/Further Information |
|---|---|---|
| Lock in bill relief | Liberal — One-off $250 Renewable Energy Dividend Labor — Reverse power price increases (saving $400 for the average household) and cap power price rises at 2.5%, along with the removal of power connection/disconnection charges for renters. Bring forward outstanding Energy Bill Relief Fund payments, so that households will receive a further $375 bill relief before the end of the 2023/24 Financial Year Greens — Bring down bills by putting a cap on electricity prices Kristie Johnston — Supports minimum bill relief of $250 per year over four years David O’Byrne — Supports indexed energy bill relief payments John Tucker — Supports power prices being reduced to where the cost of hydro is equal to the revenue Sue Hickey — Electricity prices must be controlled, whether by capping prices or beefing up the existing Energy Saver Loan Scheme Tamar Cordover — Supports measures to reduce energy costs | Liberal policy Labor policy Greens policy TasCOSS election platform responses |
| Shift to a percentage-based concession and extend eligibility | Liberal — No commitment announced Labor — No commitment announced Greens — No commitment announced Kristie Johnston — Supports a percentage-based concession and extending eligibility David O’Byrne — Supports a percentage-based concession | Liberal policy Labor policy Greens policy TasCOSS election platform responses |
| Significant investment in household energy efficiency | Liberal — Extend No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS) Tasmania Energy Saver Loan Subsidy to $500,000 per year Labor — Provide $5 million to upgrade 2,500 public and social homes with energy efficiency upgrades, and provide an incentive program for landlords with $1,000 available per home for energy efficiency upgrades when the landlord provides a matched contribution. Boost to NILS Tasmania of $800,000 per year, along with a four year extension of Energy Saver Loan Scheme. Greens — Introduce minimum energy efficiency standards for rental properties. Rooftop solar systems for public housing new builds and retrofits. Grants of up to $2,000 for energy efficiency upgrades to 2,500 low income households, and expanded support for other households to install solar and batteries Kristie Johnston — Supports significant investments to accelerate energy efficiency upgrades for social housing, private rentals and homeowners on low incomes Tamar Cordover — Supports solar incentives for rental accommodation | Liberal policy Labor policy Greens policy TasCOSS election platform responses |
Check out a rundown of commitments in a different policy area: