The Queensland Government has frozen the cost of the standard residential tariff (Tariff 11) at 2011-12 rates from the start of this month in a bid to offset Origin Energy’s price changes.

 

State Minister for Energy Mark McArdle upped the rhetoric against the Federal Government’s carbon tax by saying the tariff freeze would offset the Federal Government’s ‘ongoing cost-of-living pain.’

 

Mr McArdle said the freeze would continue while the Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC) and the Independent Review Panel (IRP) made an assessment on how best to reform power delivery in Queensland.

 

“Corporate structures, staffing, everything that drives prices will come under the microscope of this independent review process as it sets about recommending how to make the system work better,” Mr McArdle said.

 

The IDC will deliver a final report to government in January 2013.