More than 400 jobs cut from Queensland’s state-owned power distributers after Palaszczuk Government dumped $4.1 billion of debt on their balance sheets
• Labor’s electricity merger fails to generate the savings promised, now hardworking Queenslanders are losing their jobs
• Annastacia Palaszczuk is good at talking about jobs but her policies are destroying them
Hundreds of workers in Queensland’s power industry have lost their jobs after the Palaszczuk Labor Government dumped $4.1 billion worth of debt off its accounts and onto state-owned power distributors.
Shadow Treasurer Scott Emerson said Labor’s move to fiddle the State’s books had come at a huge cost to hundreds and potentially thousands of Queensland families.
“This inexperienced Labor government has ripped the guts out of the State’s energy companies and now Queenslanders are paying for it through lost jobs,” Mr Emerson said.
“You can’t ramp up their debts, strip all their cash and raid all of the dividends and expect these energy businesses to grow.
“The majority of these jobs were frontline – with 296 full time positions slashed at Ergon Energy and 116 lost at Energex during 2015-16.
“Labor’s electricity merger has failed to generate the savings promised and we’re instead seeing hard-working Queenslanders lose their jobs.”
Mr Emerson said further job losses were on the cards because of Labor’s 100 per cent dividend demands.
“Both Energex and Ergon have already flagged plans for more job cuts – and the state’s new amalgamated company, Energy Queensland, is also looking to cut costs,” he said.
“What happened to Labor’s promise to build these businesses and use the profits to reduce debt?
“Instead these businesses are being crippled because Annastacia Palaszczuk wanted to make the State’s books look better, at the expense of these companies.
“Annastacia Palaszczuk is good at talking about jobs, but her policies are destroying them.”
