Victorians face soaring electricity bills and a less secure power grid as the Allan Labor Government's chaotic mismanagement of Victoria's energy transition is laid bare.
New revelations today confirm that delays, blowouts and botched planning in the rollout of transmission infrastructure are set to drive electricity bills even higher for families and small businesses already struggling with the cost of living.
Opposition FOIs have revealed that Labor's own estimates show delays in key projects such as VNI West and other critical infrastructure will result in massive additional costs that will ultimately be borne by consumers.
The government's much-hyped VicGrid Transmission Plan 2025 is already being described as a "laughingstock", with its claimed $4.3 billion cost estimate wildly out of touch with reality. Critical components like VNI West are excluded from that figure, meaning the real cost could be up to $16 billion more than Labor admits.
At a recent Public Accounts and Estimates hearing, Energy Minister Lily D'Ambrosio denied that the additional cost to consumers was near $20 billion - yet could not or refused to say what the true figure was.
Shadow Minister for Energy and Resources, David Davis, said the government's bungling of its energy policies will hurt every Victorian.
"Labor has botched the rollout of renewables, leaving Victoria exposed - and it's ordinary households and businesses who are paying the price through soaring electricity bills."
"Opposition FOIs make it clear that the government's own documents show how their delays to VNI West and other critical infrastructure are driving even more costs onto consumers."
"Labor's VicGrid plan is not a serious document - it's a joke. The costings are fantasy, and the real price to be paid by consumers could be billions higher."
"Even the government's offshore wind strategy is running seriously behind schedule, making it highly unlikely that new capacity will replace Yallourn's closure in 2028."
"After 11 years of Labor, Victorians are left with higher bills, more uncertainty, and less confidence in the future of the grid - all because Jacinta Allan and Lily D'Ambrosio cannot deliver."
"Victorians will truly pay through the nose for Labor's shambolic energy failures - and that bill is only getting bigger."
Victorians deserve transparency and a real plan for a secure, affordable energy future. Instead, Labor is keeping secret its agreements with brown coal operators, refusing to disclose credible cost estimates, and undermining the certainty that renewable energy investors and consumers need.
Under Labor, families and businesses will continue to pay more for less.
