Advertisement

Coal power and “big stick” energy policy on Govt agenda

The Morrison Government is looking at a new coal-fired power station for Queensland, while reviving laws compelling power companies to cut wholesale prices and guarantee supply.

May 29, 2019, updated May 29, 2019
The Morrison Government says a new coal-fired power station for North Queensland was election policy.
Photo: supplied

The Morrison Government says a new coal-fired power station for North Queensland was election policy. Photo: supplied

Energy Minister Angus Taylor said it was no surprise the “big stick” legislation would be a priority when parliament returned in July.

“It is our policy, we took it to the election, it has been through the partyroom, and it has been introduced to parliament,” he told The Australian on Wednesday.

The proposed laws – which the industry has labelled draconian, extreme and arbitrary – would give the federal government unprecedented powers to break up power companies.

After failing to pass its legislation in March, the coalition is trying again, now that it has a majority in the lower house and a less hostile Senate.

Buoyed by the government’s re-election, Resources Minister Matt Canavan has also claimed a mandate for coal-fired power.

“The government will progress investments in coal-fired power,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald. 

“That was what we took to the election, it was a key part of our policy package in North Queensland – that we would look at building a coal-fired power station in North Queensland.”

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has spoken out against the government’s plan to underwrite new power generation across the country.

“We actually live in a market economy – we don’t live in a state-controlled economy,” he said.

Canavan is also pushing state governments in Victoria and NSW to open up more gas fields, in order to prevent further energy price hikes for households and manufacturers.

Meanwhile, energy companies have pushed back at the minister’s refusal to revive the National Energy Guarantee, and have challenged him to explain how Australia will meet its international climate targets.

Power bosses said Taylor needed to show how emission reductions would be integrated into energy policy.

-AAP

Want to comment?

Send us an email, making it clear which story you’re commenting on and including your full name (required for publication) and phone number (only for verification purposes). Please put “Reader views” in the subject.

We’ll publish the best comments in a regular “Reader Views” post. Your comments can be brief, or we can accept up to 350 words, or thereabouts.

InDaily has changed the way we receive comments. Go here for an explanation.

 

Local News Matters
Advertisement
Copyright © 2024 InDaily.
All rights reserved.