Report: Liberal Steven Marshall wrong on power price claim, ordered to print retraction

South Australia’s upcoming state election is getting nasty, with renewables and power prices remaining front and centre. Adelaide’s commercial talk radio station FIVEaa today published letters from SA’s Electoral Commission in which the commissioner requests the Liberals publish a retraction and correction to its erroneous claim.

SA Electoral Commissioner Mike Sherry investigated a complaint over a claim made by the Liberal Party advertisement that the Liberal Energy Plan/Solution will save households $302 year. Sherry found that the claim did not stack up, a fact apparently confirmed by Steven Marshall himself in an interview.

“From the information available to me it appears that the plan includes measures that are already in place and that a significant part of the savings referred to would result from those measures,” Commission Sherry wrote in his determination. “It also appears that a singnciant part of the savings referred to would result from these measures.

“I also appears that a significant art of the savings refered to (around $230)will eventuate whether the plan is implemented or not.”

Given these facts, the Commission found: “I have determined that the advertising containing the at least implied statement of fact set out alone.”

The ability of zero-marginal-cost renewable energy is in the early stages of demonstrating its role in power price evolution in SA. A pronounced Duck Curve is evident on sunny days. This low daytime demand is likely to make an impact by reducing wholesale power prices, and eventually flow through to households.

The South Australian election will be held this Saturday.