A Strong, Clean Economy for all Australians.

Hello 

 

From mid-May, many Novocastrians will receive a special payment from the Federal Government. This payment is to offset cost impacts from the Clean Energy Future program.

 

From July 1, 2012 the biggest carbon polluters will begin to pay the Carbon Price, with Treasury estimating that overall costs will increase by 0.7% or less than 1 cent in a dollar. Our assistance payments are designed to help households adjust to these modest price increases.

Over the next few months, nine out of ten households will receive assistance payments, or tax cuts, or both. And from 1 July the tax free threshold will be increased from $6,000 to $18,200, with over one million working people no longer needing to lodge a tax return.

 

No matter what your views are on climate change, everyone understands that our carbon-based resources – coal, oil and gas – can’t last forever. Just as governments acted when the Earth’s ozone layer was being damaged by CFCs and when high levels of carbon monoxide from leaded fuel were declared hazardous to our health, the Federal Labor Government is taking action to assist our Nation to build a clean energy economy.

 

Newcastle is prepared to play a major part in developing cleaner energy. The Federal Labor Government has established the Smart Grid, Smart City project, the Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources, the Australian Solar Institute at the CSIRO National Energy Centre and the Clean Energy Enterprise Centre – all located in Newcastle and all leading innovation and technology advances that will make our Nation more competitive and more sustainable.

 

We are the clever country and right now we have a strong economy to help us transition to a cleaner environment for future generations.

 

From 1 July, Australia will be one of 34 countries around the world that will use emissions trading to drive carbon pollution reduction. 

 

We understand that energy costs are already high and we are determined to help Australians with these rising costs. 

 

Electricity prices have increased by 50% since the beginning of 2007. By 2014, they’ll have nearly doubled. That’s because the power poles and wires through which you get your electricity are nearly 50 years old – and have to be replaced.

 

In fact, of every one dollar you pay for electricity:

·         46 cents pays for the poles and wires;

·         Another 32 cents is the cost of generating electricity; and

·         Profits and the retail costs of electricity companies make up 15 cents.

 

The Carbon Price will account for approximately 8 cents of every dollar in your bill. While the average bill will go up $3.30 a week because of the carbon price, an average household will get $10.10 a week help from the Federal Government.

 

We have also given the ACCC additional powers to act on exploitation and excessive price rises.

 

I ask you to let me know if you think any individual or business is trying to blame the Carbon Price for any unjustified price rises.