Libby Mettam promises power bill relief if Liberals win 2025 WA State Election

WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam has promised more cost-of-living reprieve if she wins the next election, saying she will slash power bills by $169 a year.

Fresh from successfully staring down critics of her leadership and retaining the top job after a messy caucus meeting on Tuesday, Ms Mettam said a Liberal Government would slash the electricity fixed daily supply charge.

“We know households across Western Australia are facing unprecedented budget pressures and we are the only party committed to providing meaningful and sustained relief,” she said.

“It’s inexcusable that, in a State as wealthy as WA, so many working families are forced to make impossible choices between paying bills, providing school essentials, or simply putting food on the table.

“Our tax cut will save families almost $700 over four years.”

When Mark McGowan’s Labor Party won government in 2017, power bills rose by $169 a year because of a doubling of the daily charge residents must pay to be connected to the grid.

The electricity fixed daily supply charge was upped from 48.6¢ to 94.9¢.

The Liberals are promising to cut that daily charge back to pre-2017 levels.

Shadow Energy Minister Steve Thomas said the reduction would most help those household doing it the toughest and were a direct action to reverse a “cruel deception” by Mark McGowan in 2017.

He said that over the past eight years Labor’s decision had cost households $1352.

“Labor promised ‘no new taxes or increases on taxes on West Australians in the lead up to the 2017 election, but almost doubled the cost of the fixed daily supply charge for electricity after it,” Dr Thomas said.

“That is an unfair, punitive cost on West Australians, disproportionately affecting working families, pensioners, and vulnerable households who can do nothing to avoid it.

“Under the WA Liberals’ plan we will immediately cut Labor’s unfair electricity charge increases by 46.3¢ per day.

“We will cut Labor’s unfair energy bills for homes to provide immediate and essential cost of living relief for families doing it tough.”

Coupled with 13 interest rate hikes since 2022 and big increases in weekly rent payments, big increases to groceries and other essential household items has sparked a cost-of-living crisis.

“The rising cost-of-living is going to be one of the defining issues of the upcoming state election,” Anglicare boss Mark Glasson said on Saturday.

“The State Government has made some really positive moves to address the issue, but more needs to be done both at scale and at pace to address financial pressures, particularly boosting emergency relief, energy and utility programs.”