Do you work for Ausgrid, Transgrid or Endeavour Energy. If Bairds Liberals are returned to power your jobs WILL BE under threat. In regional areas, the Liberals proposal to sell off the poles and wires will have serious consequences. Ausgrid, Transgrid and Endeavour Energy depots will be under threat - thats job cuts for NSW on top of Federal Liberal Job Cuts already devastating NSW communities. #voteliberalslast #notfittogovern #nswvotes A PEAK social services lobby group fears electricity consumers in regional areas will be hit even harder if safeguards are not put in place as part of a proposal to lease NSW electricity networks. Council of Social Service of NSW (NCOSS) chief executive officer Tracy Howe said there were concerns regional consumers already paying $500 a year more than city counterparts would pay even more under the new arrangement. It followed the release of a new report commissioned by NCOSS the organisation said highlighted concerns about Essential Energy and its customers when the three distribution businesses were placed under the umbrella of Networks NSW. The Consumer Power: The lease of the NSW Electricity Networks from an electricity consumers perspective report was prompted by the governments proposal to partially lease the states electricity networks, motivated by the potential the move had to realise some $20 billion in funding for large infrastructure projects to benefit NSW as a whole. Among 38 recommendations included in the report was that the NSW government detail its plans for Essential Energy, before the NSW state election. Ms Howe said the focus had so far been on the infrastructure projects funds raised from the lease would pay for. Little attention has been given to how the government plans to protect consumers in the long term, she said. Although Essential Energy will remain 100 per cent government-owned should the lease proceed, it is important that all costs of sale, including any cost impacts on Essential Energy, are paid for by the lease proceeds and not by electricity consumers. Ms Howe was wary of claims the network reforms and introduction of Networks NSW would bring cost savings. The costs of running a large rural network are different from network running costs in Sydney where population density and economies of scale help to reduce costs, she said. Consumers should know whether these savings will be lost if two of the distribution networks are leased. The average annual bill for a person in Ausgrids largely metropolitan supply area is $1991 while those in Essential Energys supply area - which is largely rural - is $2536 a year. Electricity is an essential service so the government must be very careful not to put people, particularly low-income earners, in a precarious position. The fact that Essential Energy will remain in public hands should not stop the government from seeking efficient outcomes within the bounds of the regulatory framework and standards for safety. Ms Howe said the privatisation of any service brought with it pros and cons. What we need to start seeing is a detailed, transparent plan that shows the government has considered lessons from the past and is prepared to take action to protect consumers into the future, she said. Only then can consumers make an informed decision about whether they support the lease at the coming election. dailyliberal.au/story/2821713/regional-areas-to-pay-for-electricity-changes-poll/ The Real News Channel NSW Labor The Australian Greens
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 22:17:14 +0000