Live webcast Community Question Time today. The Premier & Treasurer Andrew Fraser responded to a question on rising electricity costs:

What’s really driving up electricity costs is peak load (even if it only comes on 6-7 times in a summer).

More people are buying more electrical equipment like plasma TVs and air-conditioners that are driving up peak load.

[b]The QLD Government has to invest $8000 in the electricity network every time someone installs a new air-conditioner!!![/b] All our taxes pay for that. Pool pumps too.

We’ve built an electricity network that is basically used 4 days a year (for those extreme peak loads that kick in rarely).

We need to work out as a society how to use electricity more sustainably. Andrew Fraser gave examples of Proserpine in his childhood with one light on per house and now houses here have lots of lights on.

Low income earners facing an inability to pay an electricity bill and facing homelessness because of it can be helped.