The executive director of NECA’s Queensland branch Mick Logan has expressed his concerns with the Queensland government’s decision to create a new business enterprise, Energy Queensland, to compete with family owned, small and medium sized electrical contractors.

“NECA has written to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk asking her to reconsider the government’s position with the creation of Energy Queensland,” Mick says.

“We believe it’s the government’s role to create the proper regulatory and safety settings to ensure an efficient, market-based sector.  The decision to create Energy Queensland to compete against mums and dads owned electrical contracting businesses, while adjacent government departments regulate the sector, creates not only a negative perception of conflict, but the potential to seriously distort the market and drive up service prices once smaller players are driven out of business.

“NECA questions whether this outcome is in the best interests of Queensland taxpayers. We believe the funds expended to create Energy Queensland could be redirected towards more critically urgent priorities.

“We call on the Premier to reconsider this decision that will only deliver a negative impact upon electrical contracting services in Queensland, particularly across regional parts of our state.”