Power report 'sensationalist'
A report into Australia's power prices which listed Tasmania as having the 11th most expensive prices in the world, has been described as "sensationalist".
The Energy Supply Association of Australia said the the report by the Energy Users Association of Australia did little to advance constructive debate on the rising cost of energy.
esaa chief executive Matthew Warren said the report, Australian Electricity Prices: An International Comparison, was designed for "shock and awe" rather than to help find solutions to rising energy prices.
“We all know energy bills have been rising, and they will increase further in the future,” Mr Warren said.
“But many of the claims in this report are inaccurate or exaggerated. The reality is Australia doesn’t have the most expensive energy prices in the world. Nor are they the cheapest."
The report compared 91 countries, states or provinces and found four Australian states were in the top six: South Australia (third highest), New South Wales (fourth), Victoria (fifth) and Western Australia (sixth highest).
Tasmania was the 11th highest, with Queensland at 16, the Australian Capital Territory at 21 and Northern Territory 29.
EUAA executive director Roman Domanski said rising power prices were having a major impact on the cost of living and business.
"All Australians know this and are naturally concerned about it. However, it has been a widely held and expressed view that Australian electricity prices have been amongst the lowest in the developed world and that, even with the recent increases, Australia was still in the middle of the pack,'' Mr Domanski said.
"This research, by consultants Carbon & Energy Markets, exposes the myth that Australia continues to have low, or even mid-range, electricity prices. Electricity is becoming a lot less affordable for both households and businesses and our prices are now a source of national weakness rather than strength.''
The report found that average household electricity prices in Australia last year were higher than those in Japan, the European Union, the United States and Canada.
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