Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has called on local governments in the country’s various regions to halve the price of coal in the face of the energy crisis and the significant increase in prices.
The federal government has encountered serious difficulties in reaching an energy agreement and has urged the states to fix the price per ton of coal at 125 Australian dollars (about 80 euros), less than half the current market price.
With this measure, the authorities are seeking to reduce the pressure on the population and reduce the cost of household bills for the coming year, despite the fact that many have warned of the possible economic consequences of the measure on energy companies and coal producers.
Albanese, however, hopes to secure an agreement and has insisted on the importance of controlling price increases. However, objections from local authorities have recently intensified as the reports submitted by the central government do not present studies on possible economic impacts.
«If we can design a regulation that puts a series of limits to the increase of these prices, that will be our preference,» he said in declarations to ABC Radio, although he did not deny that taxes for producers and exporters would increase.
