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SEC equates to 'Soaring Energy Costs' as Victorian power bills surged by 25% says Tim BullAfter pledging SEC revival to reduce electricity costs, Victorian bills surged 25%. MPs criticise Labor's unmet promises, dubbing it 'Soaring Energy Costs.' Concerns over managing household expenses amid energy transitions. By news@gippsland - 18th December 2023 - Back to News A year after announcing the State Labor Government would revive the State Electricity Commission (SEC) and drive down the costs to electricity, Victorian power bills have increased by 25 percent. Gippsland East Nationals' MP, Tim Bull, said the last thing Victorian households need is for their electricity charges to continue to soar. 
Gippsland East Nationals MP, Tim Bull, with fellow Nationals MP, Martin Cameron, in their Soaring Energy Cost caps at State Parliament Energy cost concernsMr Bull said, "The acronym has now been dubbed by my colleague, the Member for Morwell, Martin Cameron, as 'Soaring Energy Costs'. And he couldn't be more on the money. Despite claiming the SEC will invest $1 billion towards generating Victoria's energy and lowering costs, Labor's Minister for Energy and Resources, Lily D'Ambrosio, refuses to tell Victorians when they will see reductions in their electricity bills." "We need more than just the Minister's hot air and spin to power our state. Labor went to the last election spruiking it would lower energy bills, but in stark contrast, costs have skyrocketed putting significant pressure on families at a time where households are being hit from every imaginable direction with price hikes." "While I support the adoption of renewable power generation, the transition to electricity reliance must be managed responsibly in a way that households aren't lumped with sky-high bills while also picking up the tab for the SEC. It is just one more area where Labor says it will do one thing, but the opposite occurs," he said. Pictures from Tim Bull MP website.
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com

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