Daniel Andrews disconnected from Victorians’ power bill pain

Documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws, reveal the real cost of Daniel Andrews’ failed energy policies.

Since Labor took office in December 2014, Victorians struggling to pay their power bills have had their power disconnected over 178,000 times in the past five years.

This means almost 2,800 Victorian families suffer every month because they cannot afford Labor’s out of control power prices.

This comes on top of the independent Australian Energy Market Commission’s finding Victoria has the highest number of customers on ‘hardship repayment plans’ for power bills. Hardship plans now affect 48,530 Victorian customers, with an average debt of $1,378.

This data is unfortunate but unsurprising. Under Daniel Andrews and Labor, average residential power bills have increased by $264 or 21 per cent.

After the reforms of the 1990s, Victoria had amongst the cheapest power prices. This remained the case right up until around five years ago when the Andrews Labor Government started squeezing supply with no plan to meet demand.

Increased power prices inevitably strain family budgets, adding weight to the ever-increasing cost of living burden and leading to debts and disconnections.

Five years of Daniel Andrews’ failed energy policies have done nothing but hurt hardworking Victorian families.

Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Energy and Renewables, Ryan Smith:

“The Andrews Labor Government has allowed power bills to get out of control.  The Liberal Nationals have a plan to ease bills for Victorians and get the economy back on track.

“Victorian household budgets are already under huge pressure due to the ongoing pandemic crisis, a crisis made so much worse by the state Labor Government’s hotel quarantine bungles.  These out of control power bills are only adding to their pain.”