How many people will go without power under a Labour Government?

The Alliance Party says the failure of the Government to regulate power companies is a cop out.

Alliance Party President Victor Billot says power companies should all be under public ownership because the infrastructure had been paid for and built by the New Zealand public.

He says no one should be disconnected because of an unpaid bill as there were other ways of getting back the money.

"No house in New Zealand should have the power turned off, full stop, because it endangers people's health and safety, especially children, the ill and the vulnerable."

"There is no need for power companies to make profit. They should be there to provide affordable electricity for New Zealanders. They should be run in an efficient and environmentally sound manner under democratic control."

Mr Billot says there is no point in the "guidelines" announced by the Government since the power companies would still be required to extract as much money as they could from the people of New Zealand.

"It's like giving guidelines to a great white shark to mellow out and not bite people. You can't tell them on one hand to gouge as much cash out of the public as they can and then ask them to act as a social agency at the same time."

He says that the main reason people are struggling to pay power bills is that electricity prices have zoomed up several times faster than wages in recent years.

Mr Billot says the problem is the profit driven model.

"Why are the Government so keen to keep on with the Rogernomics and National Party style system from the 1990s?"

He says the Labour Government obviously views power company profit as more important than secure affordable electricity for people.

"Power prices continue to rise. Power company profits continue to rise, whether they are state-owned or privatized. People will continue to suffer the consequences. But not people who are on high incomes like MPs, which may have something to do with the lack of action from Parliament."

ENDS

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