Fair go for Tasmanian farmers

The revelation yesterday that a wholly owned subsidiary of the State Government, Momentum Energy, is providing Victorian farmers with discounted energy prices is a blow to Tasmanian agriculture.

Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association (TFGA) CEO Peter Skillern said that the suggestion that this involved excess generation that wouldn’t be sold to Tasmanians fundamentally missed the point.

“The issue is that the State Government and its business enterprises should be putting Tasmania and Tasmanian farmers first,’’ Mr Skillern said.

“If there is a commercial imperative for Momentum Energy to provide discounts to Victorian farmers then the TFGA believes that a similar or better discount should be provided to Tasmanian farmers and businesses.

“The State Government’s policy to increase agriculture production to $10 billion by 2050 is one that the TFGA commends and supports, but giving our direct competitors a leg up undermines this worthwhile policy position.”