Reducing cost of living pressures is an important part of the Hodgman Liberal Government’s Plan for our State, the passage of two significant bills today will enable us to deliver on commitments aimed at reducing pressure on household budgets.
The Water and Sewerage Legislation (Crown Governance and Pricing) Bill delivers on our commitment to keep water and sewerage prices lower and to bring forward investment sooner.
The Bill will freeze prices next year, then cap annual price growth at no more than 3.5 per cent to 2024-25.
Over the next decade, the Tasmanian Government will invest $200 million in equity to become a 10 per cent shareholder of TasWater. Today’s passage of the legislation ensures councils remain the majority owner of TasWater and continue to receive planned dividends.
The Hodgman Liberal Government is continuing to work in partnership with TasWater to address significant environmental, social and economic challenges before us, including those of the Tamar River, Macquarie Point, and at Freycinet.
Also passing in the Parliament today was the Electricity Supply Industry Amendment (Price Cap) Bill, which delivers on the Government’s commitment to legislate to cap power prices at CPI for the next three years.
Through our Tasmania First Energy policy and our Lowest Regulated Electricity Prices in the Nation policy, the Government is committed to delivering secure electricity supply at the lowest possible regulated prices by 2022.
Yesterday I tabled the Treasurer’s 2017-18 Annual Financial Report, this confirms that the Hodgman Liberal Government has once again balanced the budget. It is only because of continued strong financial management that we are able to deliver on commitments to keep cost of living down and make a real difference in the lives of Tasmanians.
The Hodgman Liberal Government is focussing on the issues that are important to Tasmanians, like fixing the State's water and sewerage, taking action on the cost of living and providing increased investment and jobs for the benefit of all Tasmanians.
