The average West Australian family will have to pay an extra $100 a year for electricity and gas under the Liberal Party's `Fightback' policies.
Deputy Premier Ian Taylor said the Liberals' proposed goods and services tax would increase energy prices by at least 11 per cent, impacting savagely on Western Australian families, small businesses and industries.
He said that unlike the Eastern States, where there was potential to absorb part of the GST increase by utilising excess capacity in a national grid, there was little scope to minimise the impact in WA.
"The first casualty will be the WA Government's family pledge to keep increases in electricity charges below the inflation rate. This would be destroyed overnight by the imposition of the GST," Mr Taylor said.
"The GST also would be a body blow to the WA Government's commitment to reduce energy prices by 25 per cent in real terms.
"The average Western Australian household with a bi-monthly SECWA bill of $150 can expect to pay an extra $100 a year.
"The impact would be even harsher on families in the north of the State, where household electricity bills are more than doubled by air-conditioning costs."
Mr Taylor said WA small business would be hit hard by an 11 per cent increase in energy costs.
"At a time when there is general recognition of the need to take the burden of government charges off small business, the Liberals are planning an 11 per cent hike in electricity - a basic business cost."
Mr Taylor said the GST on electricity and gas would wipe out the gains WA had made in recent years to attract development and industry through more competitive energy pricing.
"Uncompetitive energy prices will undermine WA's prospects of attracting new industrial development, such as downstream mineral processing.
"The State's long-term job creation strategy would be severely affected and all Western Australians would miss out on the benefits of economic growth.
"How the WA Liberals can pledge their support for a policy which places such a harsh penalty on the State is almost beyond belief.
"The explanation seems to be that they do not have any policies of their own. Everything in the WA Liberal platform is simply an appendage of the now infamous `Fightback' package."
