Bligh Govt looking after the battlers

Mines and Energy Minister Geoff Wilson met with representatives of welfare groups in the Townsville region today to outline steps the Bligh Government was taking to ease the financial burden for local households on a tight budget.

Minister Wilson is in Townsville with the Premier, her Cabinet Ministers and heads of government departments for the Bligh Government’s 13^th Community Cabinet Meeting.

“It’s an opportunity to get to the heart of local issues, talk face to face with the local community and take their concerns on board,” Mr Wilson said.

Mr Wilson said the cost of electricity in regional Queensland was high on his agenda.

“Even though electricity prices in Queensland are among the cheapest in the country, many households are doing it tough and struggling to meet their quarterly power bill,” he said.

“That’s why we gave households and businesses right across regional Queensland more than $600 million to bring down the cost of their electricity bills. That works out to around $1,000 a year for every household.

“Without our subsidy their bills would be around $1,000 higher. Make no mistake, we will continue to reach out and help the battlers because that’s what good governments, responsible governments do,” he said.

Minister Wilson said the Bligh Government had also increased the electricity rebate for pensioners and seniors from $145 to $165 to help ease the financial burden.

“We also established a $3 million hardship scheme for people who had difficulty meeting the cost of their electricity and gas bills,” he said.

“The bottom line is that we’re on the side of the consumer and we will continue to look after the interests of everyday Queenslanders, especially people who are doing it tough, no matter where they live,” he said.

Mr Wilson said the Bligh Government would also continue to invest in vital electricity infrastructure and protect the jobs of people in the industry.

“We’re spending more than $9 billion on electricity infrastructure across the state over five years to make the electricity network stronger and safer for all Queenslanders,” he said.