A re-elected majority Liberal Government will “tear up and rewrite” Hydro’s existing charter to ensure that the Hydro firmly puts Tasmanian prices and Tasmanian jobs first, Premier Jeremy Rockliff says.
Created in 2012 by the then Labor-Green Government but in use under the Liberals for the last decade, Rockliff said the charter “prioritised energy export over taking care of Tasmanians” and said he would now “put a stop to it”.
“Over the past century, Hydro has been the cornerstone of Tasmania’s economic strength, driving the economy, investment and jobs,” he said.
“But, in recent years Hydro has drifted from its foundational principles with the emergence of the National Electricity Market, Basslink and the growth of decarbonisation.”
Under the proposed new charter, Hydro will be mandated to prioritise delivering the most affordable power prices for Tasmanians while fostering economic growth and job creation.
Rockliff said a major change to the current charter would be to section 2.1 that outlines the “Principal Purpose”.
The charter currently says: “The principal purpose of Hydro Tasmania is to efficiently generate, trade and sell electricity in the National Electricity Market.”
This would be replaced with: “The principal purpose of Hydro Tasmania is to provide the lowest possible power prices for Tasmanians; and to enable economic growth and job creation in Tasmania.”
Labor too will make changes to the charter to make its number one priority “giving Tasmanian households and industry access to an abundance of Tasmanian power, at a Tasmanian price”.
Leader Rebecca White said her government’s new charter would be created around the primary goal of supporting “the long-term growth of the Tasmanian economy by generating enough electricity to supply households, businesses and major industries with the power they need now and into the future, at the lowest price in the nation”.
“The Liberals have had 10 years to help Tasmanians and they have done nothing. It is time for a better future and a Rebecca White Labor Government will ensure Tasmanians pay a Tasmanian price for Tasmanian power,” she said.
