The NSW Treasurer, Matt Kean, has accused the federal government of breaking its promise to deliver much-needed power bill relief to Australian families. He made this statement following a meeting with Treasurer Jim Chalmers and other state and territory treasurers on Friday.
Kean said the plan had failed to deliver on its promise, with only a fraction of the promised savings being passed on to households in NSW. He said the federal government had failed to take the necessary steps to ensure the savings were passed on, resulting in families in NSW being left out of pocket.
“The federal government promised to deliver power bill relief to struggling families and yet here we are, months later, and nothing has changed,” Kean said.
In an opinion piece for The Australian on Friday, Dr Chalmers suggested the final details of the plan proposed by Anthony Albanese would not be revealed until the budget in May, contrary to Albanese’s earlier indication that national cabinet could finalise the details by March.
After the meeting, Mr Kean stated to journalists that the federal government had not fulfilled its part of the agreement.
“I expected bill relief to come into effect once we delivered the coal caps, as that was the agreement that Chris Bowen and the Prime Minister had made with the Premier, he said.
“However, now they have changed the terms of the deal, so it is up to them to explain why.”
Dr Chalmers has accused the NSW government of engaging in political tactics ahead of the state election. He asserted the government’s energy plan was in the process of making life more comfortable for families, pensioners, and small businesses.
